Part Three: The Second Chance
by forgotten-magick
Summary: Part Three of the Jack's Secret Chronicles. One night a strange girl shows up at the Mercer house almost dead. Will the brothers send her packing to escape the pain of Jack's memory or embrace this second chance to protect and save another lost Mercer?
1. In the Night

**Okay, this takes place about 13 years after the movie. Bobby and Angel (now married to Sofi) are still living in Evelyn's house. Because I have no idea how old they were in the movie, I'm guessing on ages, but I've got Bobby and Jerry in their early 40s, Angel in his late 30s. Jerry's kids are 18 and 16.**

**Rating for graphic descriptions of abuse in later chapters.**

**Please review!**

**Oh yes, the totally unnecessary disclaimer. I don't own this shit, no duh. If I did, I probably wouldn't bother writing a story, I'd just write a sequel: _Four Brothers 2: Jack's Brat_.

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Someone was banging on the door. Bobby swayed to his feet, his head aching with the beginnings of an epic hangover.

"Comin', comin'. Fuck," he mumbled, stumbling out to open the door. "What?" he snapped at the short guy who stood on the porch.

"Sorry I bother you, sir," the man stammered. "But I gotta passenger in my cab. Give me this address, but something wrong. Won't wake up."

Bobby swore and pushed past the guy. Snow crunched under his boots as he crossed the yard, trying to push down the pain in his skull. Wrenching the cab door open, Bobby gasped.

_Jack._ His heart skipped a few beats before he came back to himself. Jack was dead, nearly 13 years ago, and this kid was a little younger than Amelia, maybe only 14 or so. And a girl. Ignoring the cabby who was now chattering at his shoulder, Bobby leaned into the car and pulled the girl out. As the light from a nearby streetlamp fell on the girl's face, Bobby realized that she was older than he'd thought, but smaller than she should have been.

Angel. He needed to get Angel out here. _Fuck_, Bobby thought suddenly. He didn't even know if Angel and Sofi were home. Their son, Jake, had an away hockey game and Angel had said that they might just find a hotel if the afterparty went too late.

A car pulled onto the street and Bobby sighed in relief as he saw that it was Angel's red SUV. When they pulled up, Angel jumped out of the car and hurried across the frozen lawn to Bobby. Taking a look at the girl in his brother's arms, Angel sucked in his breath in shock.

"Holy fuck, Bobby," he breathed.

"I know, Angel," Bobby said. "Pay the man while I get her inside."

Angel nodded and shoved a few twenties into the cabby's hands. "This hers," the man said, shoving a travel-stained duffle bag into Angel's hands before jumping into his cab and driving off. Angel walked over to his car, slinging the duffle over his shoulder. Jake had woken up a little and Sofi was helping him out of the car. "Where'd ya get the bag, Dad?" Jake slurred. Angel smiled down at his 10 year old son.

"Let's go inside, Jay," he said. "S'to cold out here. Might freeze to death."

Angel stood by the car, watching Sofi and Jake go into the house. When they'd disappeared inside and shut the door, he let himself shiver. He looked over at the lamppost on the other side of the driveway and shivered again. Jack. _Jackie._ He thought about his little brother a lot, but now every detail of that day jumped back to him.

Blood shining bright red on a white shirt and fresh snow. Anguished screams begging, pleading for big brother to help. Blood coming out of lungs instead of air. Crying, crying so hard that Sofi had to hold him up. That girl looked so much like him. She was like Jack made miniature and female. Suppressing another shiver, Angel hurried into the house.

The living room was filled with warm golden light. Bobby was crouched by the couch, staring in wonder at the girl who lay there. Standing by his brother, Angel looked down at her, ignoring the lump in his throat at how much she looked like Jack.

She was probably about 16, but she looked as if she hadn't had a decent meal in years. She was scrawny and pale, her eyes looking almost bruised because of the black marks on the sunken lids. Her face shimmered with a thin film of sweat and dried blood caked her hairline and forehead from a large cut that seemed almost obscenely bright against the stark white of her skin. She shivered and Angel grabbed a blanket off a nearby chair and tossed it over her.

"Bobby," Angel said quietly. "You know who she's gotta be . . ."

Bobby nodded, taking the girl's hand. "She looks so much like him," he murmured, running his other hand over the lank sandy brown hair that stuck out in every direction. Suddenly businesslike, he said, "She looks pretty sick. Think we should get her to a hospital?"

"Yeah," Angel said. "Lemme tell Sofi and we'll go." He tossed his keys to Bobby. "We'll take my car, it'd be hell gettin' her in an' outta your backseat."

Walking up the stairs to his and Sofi's room, Angel frowned. Where the hell had this girl been all these years? Why hadn't Jack said anything? Did he even know? Oh Jesus, he thought suddenly. Did she know he was dead?

_Please God,_ Angel prayed silently as he watched Sofi tucking Jake in. _Please don't make us have to tell her. If she looks this much like Jack, it'd kill us to see pain in those eyes again.

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**Yeah, so the end was a little cheesy, but Angel's going to be like that through the whole story because he's been softened by fatherhood. Bobby's going to be a little softer too, but he's still going to be the asshole we know and love.**

**Please review. Pretty, pretty please? This is my first _Four Brothers_ fic and I really need imput because sometimes my fanfics really suck.**


	2. Evy and Memories

**This is a longer chapter (obviously) but I think the rest will run somewhere between this length and the first one. Enjoy!**

**Totally unnecessary disclaimer: I don't own this shit, but neither do you, so HA!!

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Bobby paced in the hospital waiting room, glaring around at the world. They'd been here for hours, but it seemed more like days. _I fuckin' hate hospitals,_ he thought, fighting the urge to start breaking shit just to relieve the tension. He had way too many memories of hospitals. Angel, Jerry and he had spent a lot of time here because of fights that got out of control. Jack had been here too, but for different things. Drugs, suicide attempts, a violent beating that might have also included a rape.

Bobby shuddered and forced those thoughts out of his head. Jack had looked so horrible after that. He hadn't woken up for weeks. And when he finally did, Jack had just stared dully at nothing for a few more weeks.

He felt like such a pussy, but he hoped that this girl didn't look like that when she woke up. He wasn't ready to look at his little brother's face again, to see his eyes flat with pain. Bobby closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the cold window before him as a memory washed over him. Realizing Jack was gone, gunshots, his name being screamed, panic making it high and desperate. Bobby gasped as he heard Jack's screams again, the echo of his foolish pride and his failure to protect his baby brother.

"Bobby." He jerked and turned around to face Angel and a young guy that must have been the doctor. Yep, looking closer, Bobby could see a badge that said, "Dr. Kyle Masters, M.D."

"How is she?" he demanded, taking a paper cup of hot coffee from Angel.

"She'll pull through," the doctor said, gesturing for them to sit down. "Someone beat her pretty bad, maybe even raped her but it's difficult to say. There are several cuts on her arms that I believe might be self-inflicted. Her tox screen shows marijuana, tobacco, pain killers, and alcohol. Her lungs are very weak, but whether that's because of her cold or tobacco use can't really be shown right now. She's got a very bad cold and she's massively undernourished. How long has she been this way?" the man asked.

Bobby shrugged. "Doc, we don't even know her name," Bobby told him. "She just showed up in a cab, passed out and lookin' half dead."

The doctor looked worried. "Do you have any idea who she could be?" he asked.

Angel and Bobby shared a look and Angel cleared his throat. "She looks like our younger brother," he said finally. "We think she might be his daughter."

"Can you call your brother and get him to come see?" the doctor asked, hope stirring in his eyes.

"No," Bobby said shortly. "He died thirteen years ago."

The doctor flushed in embarrassment. "I'm sorry," he said. "I've moved her into a private room. I suggest you go in there and wait with her since she was obviously looking for someone related to her. I'll show you the way."

The doctor left them in a dim room. The girl was lying in the bed nearest the window. She had curled into a ball on her side, clutching the blankets around her in a death grip. The hospital gown revealed arms and a back that were covered in cuts and bruises.

Bobby felt anger surge through her. He knew that Jack would never have hit his kid or taken up with anyone who would. But someone had beat the living fuck out of this girl. He had sworn off violence over a decade ago, but the sight of the girl's tortured body made him want to find the fucker responsible and kill him with his bare hands.

They took chairs between the bed and the window so that the girl would see them sitting there when she woke up. Settling back in the cushioned chairs, they started to wait.

- - - -

Her whole body felt like it was on fire. Pain shot up her arms and throbbed across her back. Groaning, she opened her eyes. Swearing loudly, she buried her face in a pillow as sunlight stabbed at her eyes.

"Jesus, you trying to give me a heart attack?" a voice demanded loudly nearby.

She jumped, nearly falling ass-backwards off the narrow bed as she scrabbled away from the man sitting in next to her. She froze as she saw the black man sitting next to him.

"It's you," she whispered, relief flooding through her, loosening the tense knots in her muscles. "Thank God I got to you." She felt suddenly weak and would've hit the floor if the white guy hadn't reached out and grabbed her. She winced as his hands closed over bruises, but her pain was secondary to the happiness she felt. "Bobby?" she asked weakly. He nodded, smiling down at her. She looked at the other guy. He was too burly to be Jerry. "Angel?" He nodded, giving her a wide grin that showed off shiny white teeth. "Thank God," she murmured again, feeling her eyelids getting heavy.

"Hey baby, stick with me a minute," Bobby said, sitting on the bed next to her and taking her face gently in his hands. "What's your name honey, tell me and you can go back to sleep."

She smiled gently. "I'm Evy," she whispered. "Dad named me after Gramma. I can't wait to see them."

She fell asleep before she could see the shock and sadness in their eyes.

- - - -

"Evy?" Jerry said, staring incredulously at his brothers.

"Evy," Bobby stated.

"And she doesn't know they're dead?"

"Nope."

"And she had a pharmacy and liquor store in her blood?"

"Yep."

"And what the fuck are we suppose to do with her?"

"Fuck if I know, Jerry."

Sitting back in his chair, Jerry looked at the girl in front of them. He too had a moment of shock when he saw Jack's face on that white pillow, but he could see the differences now. Her face was a little thinner, more angular. Her eyes were slightly tilted and framed by long black lashes. Her nose was more slender, but she looked so much like he had when they'd first seen him. Bobby had said that her eyes were the same as Jack's, that mysterious greenish gold that changed at a moment's notice.

Evy moaned suddenly and shifted on the bed, her arm reaching out weakly, grasping for something. "Daddy," she whispered, her face contorting slightly in sadness. "Daddy." She was pleading, begging Jack to reach out and take her hand in his. Jerry and the others had to fight back tears as they all remembered the day he died, the sound of his desperate pleading, the last breath he'd struggled for while they stood there helpless.

She quieted after a moment and her face relaxed. The brothers just watched her, strangely fascinated by this quiet girl. "Do you realize that it's been thirteen years to the day?" Bobby said suddenly. The others thought about it and shock ranged over their faces.

"That's just fucking creepy," Angel said, getting up and staring out the window at the cloudy sky.

Evy gasped and her breathing started to race. They turned toward her, concerned as she started to thrash slightly on the bed. "No," she muttered weakly. "No, no. Leave me alone."

"Evy," Bobby said, grabbing her hand. She clutched his larger hand and her thrashing increased.

"No," she cried. "_No!_"

Jerry and Bobby, held her thrashing body, trying to calm her while Angel yelled for a doctor. "No!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, her eyes flying open, wide in horror. She started fighting against them, kicking and flailing, trying to free herself from them. Angel grabbed her suddenly, pinning her shaking body to his chest, burying her face in his shoulder as he hugged her tightly. He'd done this for Jack when he's first come to live with them. Would Evy remind them of her father every time she moved?

"S'okay, baby," he whispered, running his fingers through sweat-dampened hair. "S' gonna be okay."

She stopped fighting and clamped her arms around his thick body as she started to sob weakly into his chest. "He's dead, isn't he?" she whispered suddenly. Angel's arms tightened around her as tears filled his eyes. It felt like he was holding a doll or something. She was so thin that he could feel all the bumps on her spine.

"Yeah baby," Bobby said, his voice thick and shaky. "I'm sorry, but he's gone."

Evy's sobs became stronger and Angel rocked her gently, his tear-filled eyes locked on his brothers, both of whom were crying quietly themselves. Bobby had his head buried in his hands and Jerry was rocking slightly in his chair, staring blankly at the wall as tears rolled down his cheeks.

After a while, Evy cried herself out and lay back down. Her eyes were dull as she stared blankly out the window at the snow that was falling lightly now.

When Dr. Masters came in and checked on her, he frowned and motioned for Bobby to follow him.

"Mr. Mercer," he began. "There is very little we can do for her now. Her fever's broken and the antibiotics are taking care of the cold very quickly. I believe that she's sinking into a depression." He took a deep breath. "I think you and your brothers should consider committing her."

Bobby hissed angrily. "Are you saying that you're ready to release her?" Bobby asked, fighting back his anger.

Masters hesitated. "Yes, but as I said-"

"Fine," Bobby interrupted. "Get the paperwork started. We'll take her home as soon as you say we can."

"Mr. Mercer," the doctor said, shock evident on his face. "Have you listened to anything I've said? Evy needs to be watched, she needs someone to have an eye on her all the time until we can be sure that she won't try to hurt herself. This girl is very unbalanced and you really aren't-"

But what exactly Bobby was or wasn't became moot at that point. He grabbed the doctor's coat and slammed him against the wall. "I'm taking my niece home," he said quietly. "And you better be glad that the years have taught me a little self control or you'd be spending the night in your own fucking ICU. Got me?" Masters nodded quickly. "Good. Now go start the fucking paperwork. She's leaving this place tomorrow."

Turning around, Bobby was surprised to see Evy standing in the doorway. Her face was expressionless, but the look in her eyes was painfully familiar. They were wide and filled with horror. Jackie's eyes had been like that whenever anyone fought around him.

"Are you always violent like that?" she asked. Bobby was worried by how thin her voice sounded.

"No," he answered, shame rising in him. "I swore off violence a long time ago. I just cracked a little there."

She nodded and gave him a small smile. "Then I guess maybe you can protect me after all," she said softly. "Like you did for my dad all those years." Evy turned away and went back to bed, leaving Bobby standing in the hallway wondering if he'd ever dare tell her that Jack was dead because they hadn't protected him.

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**Please review. I'll love you forever and send you naked pictures of Garrett Hedlund ;)**


	3. Question the Risk

**Thank you to my reviewers. Much love guys!**

**And, as promised, the naked pictures of Garrett Hedlund can be found . . . . . . .**

**. . . . . . . . Probably in a photo album somewhere in his mom's house cause Gods knows our parents can't let our baby years slip by without taking at least one picture of us naked in a bathtub.**

**Enjoy the new chapter!**

Bobby was scared. And being scared was not something he handled very well. He stood outside the hospital smoking his way through a second pack of cigarettes as he waited for Jerry to come get him when they were ready to go.

Looking down at the cigarette, Bobby laughed quietly to himself. Only Jack had smoked. None of the rest of them had gotten into drugs or tobacco like he had. Jerry had sold drugs before he'd wound up with Evelyn, but he'd never done them. Bobby had never done any of that shit because he liked to fight and fighting was seriously fucking hard when you were high. They'd all drank, Bobby and Jack more than the others of course.

_Oh little brother,_ Bobby thought, gazing up at the cloudy sky wistfully. _What the fuck am I suppose to do now?_

Evy scared him. She was helpless at the moment, too weak to go anywhere, but Bobby knew nothing about her besides that. What if she was a total druggie? What if she was a whore or something? If they took her in, would they just make more problems for themselves?

"Fuck," he muttered, throwing his cigarette into the snow as the door opened behind him.

"We're ready," Jerry said. "Just need you to sign and we can go."

Bobby nodded and followed his brother inside. Evy was standing next to Angel staring blankly off at nothing. He was worried about her, wondering if this numb attitude was a warning about withdrawal to come. There was no denying that she looked like hell. Her hair hung limp around her pale face. The tattered clothes she wore only made her look sicker. Baggy jeans and a ragged sweatshirt made her look shrunken and ill. Sighing, Bobby signed the papers and picked the girl up.

She struggled a bit against his arms, but when she realized that it was just her uncle, she leaned against his shoulder and relaxed. By the time they reached Angel's car, she was fast asleep.

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After they got back home, Bobby put Evy in his room. As soon as he laid her on the bed and pulled the blankets up over her, she sighed and hugged a pillow to her chest. Bobby's heart caught again. Jack had slept just like that . . .

He hurried out of the room and downstairs. It was insane how alike she and her father were. As he walked into the kitchen where his brothers sat at the table with Jake and Sofi, he tried to let happy memories of Jack wash over him, but all he could hear was his little brother desperately begging for help.

Bobby paused in the doorway, watching Jake and Angel joke around. Angel's son was so much like him, they both had that quiet self-confidence that none of the other brothers had ever picked up. Watching them, Bobby wondered if maybe Evy wasn't as like Jack as they thought. Maybe they just missed their little brother so much that they found him in everything she did.

_That'll make having her around really hard,_ Bobby thought, frowning. They had never tried to forget their brother, but Bobby and the others never talked about Jack. Bobby figured that they thought about Jack just as much as he did, but it still hurt too much, even after all these years, to dwell on him and let him live on in their memories.

"Come and eat Bobby," Sofi said, putting a plate of eggs and bacon on the table.

Bobby smiled, but made a face at her back when she turned to the stove. Jake giggled, but quickly went back to his cereal when Sofi whipped around. After a few minutes, the little boy cleared his throat.

"I'm glad you're all here," he said, his face guilty. "This way you can get all the yelling out at one time."

"What are you talking about?" Sofi asked, ruffling her son's hair. "Why would we yell at you?"

"Cause I didn't tell you something," Jake said.

"What?" Angel asked.

Jake took a deep breath before he looked up at his father. "The day before my hockey game, someone called. He asked for any of the Mercer brothers," he paused and blushed slightly. "He said something mean about Uncle Jack."

Bobby frowned. "What'd he say?" he asked his nephew.

Jake shot his mother a glance. "I can't tell you," he said. "Mom slaps me when I swear."

Angel laughed. "Don't worry Jay. Your mama slaps me when you swear too."

Sofi ignored her husband. "Go ahead honey," she said. "It doesn't count right now."

Jake looked at the table and mumbled, "He said 'Even that fucking fairy Jack will do.'"

Bobby bit back the anger that rose in his throat. "What did he want?" he asked, trying hard to keep his voice even.

"He said that a girl might be coming to find you," Jake continued, still focusing on the table. "He said that she was his and you had better send her back to him. He said 'She's mine and I want her back.'"

Bobby, Jerry, and Angel stared at each other. "What do you think?" Jerry asked. "Boyfriend? Pimp? Dealer?"

"Time for school, Jake," Sofi said firmly, glaring at the brothers. As the boy walked out of the kitchen, glaring over his shoulder at the adults, Sofi snapped, "Watch what you say around him. I don't want Jake to pick up any bad habits." With a scalding look, she swept out of the room.

"I doubt that it's a pimp," Bobby said. "Any pimp would keep his girls better than that."

"Boyfriend could be it though," Angel said. "Maybe he's the one who beat her."

"Maybe a stepfather or foster father?" Jerry suggested. "It'd have to be someone who could figure out where we were and that would take more than just knowing Jack Mercer from Detroit."

Bobby ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "If she's going to bring problems with her then we have a decision to make," he said. "We got lives, you two have kids. If we take her in, we'll be putting all that at risk."

"Yeah, but can we just turn her away?" Jerry asked. "My God Bobby, she's Jack's daughter!"

"And what about Camille, Jerry?" Bobby snapped. "What about Daniela and Amelia? What about Sofi and Jake? Can we put all them at risk just because she's Jack's kid?"

"We can't make her leave," Angel said quietly. "If not for us, her whole life would be different. Better."

"How the hell do you figure that?" Bobby demanded.

"Because," Angel replied, standing up at staring out the kitchen window. "We got her father killed. Jackie would've protected her if we hadn't gotten him killed."

The brothers sat in silence for the next hour, each lost in his own guilt. Angel was right of course, but so was Bobby. When it came right down to it, could they risk everything for one person?

After a while, Jerry broke the silence. "We know she's going to be here for a little while," he said. "So we need to make sure that she's not going to get our kids involved in anything stupid." Bobby looked up, confused. "Drugs, Bobby," Jerry explained. "The doctor said that she had drugs in her system. I'll be damned if I'm going to let her get my girls high."

"I'll get her bag," Angel said.

They went through the duffle bag in a matter of minutes. There wasn't much in it, but what they did find made it clear that Evy had been living a hard life. The two pairs of jeans were ripped and stained, the three t-shirts worn out and bloodstained. There was no jacket, only another sweatshirt, one that they recognized. It had been Jack's favorite once, black with white paint splatters. The thumbs holes he cut in the cuffs were bigger now and so was the tear along the seam in the hood, but there was no denying that it was the same sweater.

They didn't find any drugs, but they found ten spiral notebooks filled with poetry and doodling as well as a black leather-bound journal and a manila folder that had a medical file in it. Jerry sat down to read through the file while Bobby and Angel dug around to make sure they hadn't missed anything.

"Jesus," Jerry said. "Looks like she spends more time in hospitals than she does outside them. Broken bones, suicide attempts, drug overdoses, alcohol poisoning, beatings. Evidence of rape twice."

"Holy shit," Bobby said handing the duffle to Angel and starting to gather up her stuff. "Show anything else?"

"Yeah, list of different guardians she's had. Jesus, beat your record Bobby. Twelve foster homes in three years, four years in juvy for attempted murder. Most recent family showed up six months ago." Jerry sucked in his breath quickly. "That's when most of these things started happening."

"Hey, there's a hidden pocket in here," Angel said suddenly, trying to distract his brothers from the anger he knew they were feeling.

The other two came over to stand with him as he peeled away part of the lining. There was almost a hundred dollars in cash and about twenty razor blades. Some of them were broken, others had blood encrusted on them, but most of them were shiny and clean as if Evy was keeping them ready for something special.

"Self-inflicted," Bobby said quietly, fingering the shiny blades.

"Jack used to cut," Jerry said quietly. "Remember that time Angel found him in the bathroom, blood all over the shower?"

Angel nodded. "He'd cut too deep. We thought he was gonna die."

"He was afraid Mom would send him packing," Bobby said. "But a few weeks later she talked to him about adoption."

"He was so surprised," Jerry whispered.

They stood there for a few minutes, thinking about their brother and about his daughter and what they were supposed to do now.

"Well, we know she hasn't got any drugs," Bobby said as he started to put her stuff back into the duffle. "Let's keep her here for a while, let her get her strength back and go from there. Agreed?"

Jerry and Angel nodded. Jerry looked at his watch and swore. "Shit. I gotta get Amelia. She has a doctor appointment." He handed Bobby Evy's medical record. "Call me later. If Evy's feeling better, maybe I'll bring the family over and she can meet everyone."

"Yeah," Bobby said, smiling a little. "I think she'd like that."

After Jerry left and Angel went upstairs to get some sleep, Bobby tried to watch TV, but he couldn't concentrate. As much as he loved hockey, Evy kept intruding onto his thoughts. Finally he gave in and turned off the television. He got into her bag and pulled out the folder. Taking a deep breath, Bobby sat down and started to figure out what had brought Jack's daughter to them.

**Yes, more of a transition chapter than anything, but I wasn't really sure how to get this into an interesting chapter, so you get a boring one. I promise the next one will be better.**

**Please review. I'll love you forever and give you a cookie :P **


	4. Stories and Wishes

**To Iris Knotwise, I give one White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut cookie that I have cunningly disguised as a new chapter.**

**There's a flashback sequence in this chapter that's in italics, just so you don't get there and go, "What the fuck is with the formatting?" I know that most of you would assume that's what it was, but I got a review on one of my stories asking why I did it once even though it was painfully obvious why. (Seriously, the line right before it said, "He forced himself to remember, flashing back to-") Anyway, I ramble. Ignore the me.**

**Disclaimer: This is not my story which can be proven by the fact that Paramount Pictures is steadily going through YouTube removing _Four Brothers_ videos (even the fanmade music videos) and if I had the rights to this movie, I wouldn't let that happen. Bitches.**

**Enjoy the new chapter and thanks to everyone who reviewed!

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"Holy shit," Bobby said, finally closing the folder and dropping it onto the coffee table, feeling sick. He'd lost count how many time he'd said that in the last hour that he'd spent reading Evy's history. It read like every _Lifetime_ movie in history rolled into one.

To say that his niece had a colourful history was a serious understatement. Her mother, Grace Winston, had died when Evy was six. From there she'd been sent to live with Grace's mother, but had only been there two weeks when the woman had a heart attack and stroke that she swore was brought on by Evy being such an awful child. Evy lasted six months with the next family before they sent her packing, the day she turned seven. She lasted a year with the next family, but was taken out of the house because the mother was beating her. Evy then spent six months a piece with two families, both of whom turned her out, saying she had "severe issues." That was where it became seriously muddled. In the next two years, Evy had moved through twelve families. The last family was the one she was with the longest, almost a month and a half. Instead of her getting kicked out or running away, she'd ended up in juvy for attempted murder. Right after juvy, she'd been sent to live with the Browns of Fresno, California. After only a week in the Browns' house, she's started turning up in hospitals.

Bobby had no doubt that Mr. Kevin Brown was the one who had called and threatened them. Sitting back now, he wondered if he would dare send Evy away now. Even if it came down to everything and everyone he and his brothers had worked for against Evy leaving, he didn't think he could do it. They agony she must have felt looking back on such a horrible life was more than Bobby cared to think about, but he couldn't stop himself.

However, when he did think about Evy's pain, it wasn't Evy at all who came to his mind.

"_This is Jack Lansid," Evelyn had told them, her hand on the shoulder of a scrawny, pale boy who looked ready to bolt at any second. "He's going to stay with us for a while." Jack had looked up then, his green eyes terrified as he looked at the three boys who stood on the stairs, all of them taller and stronger than him. Bobby had smirked, wondering if Jack was stronger than he looked. Instead of quelling under Bobby's gaze, Jack's eyes had flashed defiance._

_Jack was lying on the floor, swearing and holding his face as Bobby looked down at him, blood from Jack's cheek dripping off his knuckles. A bag of marijuana was spread across the hallway mixed with the powdery remains of a baggie that had held fifty small white pills. "You fucking bastard!" Jack had screamed, his voice high with pain and panic. "I hate you, I fucking hate you!" Evelyn had run upstairs because of the noise. When she saw Jack, she'd slapped Bobby so hard that he'd stumbled back into the wall. Hours later, she'd come to his room. "No one hits him, Bobby," she'd said, holding his face in her hands. "Don't ever let anyone hit that boy in anger again."_

_Jack was sobbing in his room. It was dark and snow had filled up the window ledge, filling the room with grey light that only enhance the gloom. Bobby was holding his little brother, rocking him gently as Jack's body jerked and shuddered as his body reacted to the sudden loss of the drugs he'd been taking. "I'll be good," Jack had whispered. "I'll be good if you don't hurt me anymore. I'll do anything you want just please . . . please . . . leave me alone." He had been hallucinating, thinking he was being beaten instead of him trying to beat an addiction. Bobby hadn't let go for hours until Jack had finally passed out from the strain. Only then did he allow himself to hide in his own room and cry for the pain that he couldn't save Jackie from._

"Uncle Bobby?"

Evy's voice jerked him back to reality. Wiping his eyes quickly, Bobby jumped to his feet as Evy walked into the living room. "Hey kid," he said, forcing himself to smile. "Feeling any better?"

She nodded, looking around the room in a bemused sort of way. Bobby shuddered inside at how frail she looked. Her skinny body was enhanced by the fact that she was wearing one of his sweatshirts and a set of flannel pajama pants that looked like they might have been something Jack had brought to Detroit all those years ago. She looked like a Barbie trying to wear Ken's clothes. His fears lessened slightly when she turned and smiled up at him, her lips quirking into the same sweet smile that Jack's had.

"I'm starving," she said. "I can't remember the last time I ate a decent meal. I can stomach hospital food," she confided, a faintly apologetic look on her face.

Bobby came over and threw his arm around her shoulder, ignoring the minor shudder that went through her at the contact. He led her into the kitchen and pushed her into a chair, chattering to her about nothing as he got cereal and milk out and popped some bread into the toaster.

When Evy started to eat, Bobby cracked open a beer and sat in the chair across from her. How he wished this could be easy, that either of them had simple lives so that they could talk about normal things like other uncles and nieces did. Right now, he needed some information. He wanted to get it over with now so that Evy could rest later without an interrogation to get through.

Clearing his throat, Bobby cast the first stone by saying lightly, "I can imagine you've got burnt out on hospital food after all the times you've been in the places."

Evy froze for a moment and looked up, her eyes wary and searching his face. "Yes," she replied carefully, going back to her cereal. "I'm a klutz. I get in a lot of accidents."

"Accidents like the one that got you in juvy?"

Evy dropped her spoon and sat back in her chair. Fixing frank green eyes on her uncle, she said, "Go ahead and ask me whatever you want. I'm not going to lie to you, it wouldn't get me anywhere."

"Alright," Bobby answered. "How'd you end up in juvy?"

"I tried to kill someone," she answered calmly.

"Why?"

"Why does it matter, I didn't succeed."

"It matters to me, damnit. Tell me."

Evy looked away, her eyes glazing over as she watched snow falling outside the kitchen window. "He was my foster brother," she said finally, her voice quiet, somehow broken. "He and his father used to rape me. I got a knife from the kid when he came into my room one night. The next time he tried it, I tried to slit his throat."

Bobby swore quietly under his breath, shock and anger filling his mind. He beat it back as Evy continued to speak.

"The blade was dull, it wouldn't cut." She laughed suddenly, a bitter, insane little laugh that made the hairs on Bobby's neck stand up. "What kind of fucking idiot would carry a dull knife around? Anyway, he screamed and the whole house came running. All they saw was that I had a knife to his throat. When it went to court, they saw this scrawny little druggie foster kid with train-track cuts on her arms who tried to attack a clean-cut football player with top grades. It wasn't even a question of guilt. I went because they could believe that I would try to hurt someone." Her eyes snapped back to his face, challenging him angrily. "Is that enough to satisfy your curiosity on the subject?" she snapped.

Bobby nodded. "Are you doing drugs?" he asked after a few minutes. "If you are, you're gonna stop. We helped Jack through drug addictions and we'll help you, but you aren't smokin', poppin', or snortin' anything around this family, got it?"

She nodded curtly. "I'm not on drugs," she said. "The night I showed up here, I had been at a party. I don't care if you believe me or not, but I didn't take all the drugs willingly, I know I got spiked drinks." She looked up at him. Her face was expressionless, but her eyes were silently pleading for him to believe her. Bobby smiled and reached across the table to take her cold hand in his.

"I believe you, Evy," he said quietly. She smiled with relief.

"Thank God," she said. "No one ever believes me. Oh," she said, a guilty look stealing over her face. "I do smoke regular cigarettes though."

Bobby laughed. "I figured as much. With all the cigarettes my brother smoked, I think you were born addicted. I thought we'd go out later, get you some new clothes. Remind me and we'll go by a smoke shop and get you a carton of whatever."

She looked startled, but she smiled again. "I take it you guys went through my bag," she said. Bobby opened his mouth, guilt making blood rush to his face, but Evy shook her head. "I can understand why you did, I don't mind." After a moment, she added, "I won't get my cousins into any trouble, I want you to know that. I'll tell Jerry and Angel the same thing when I see them."

"I get the feeling that you cause trouble on your own," Bobby replied.

She shrugged. "Easier not to get caught if there's only one of you," she said practically.

"That's true," Bobby chuckled. "Just one more question and I'll let you go take a shower or whatever you want to do before we go shopping." Evy nodded. "How did you find us?"

Evy grinned suddenly. "Jeremiah Mercer," she answered.

"What?" Bobby snapped. "Why the hell didn't he say anything?"

"I doubt he remembers," she answered with a shrug. "It was over two months ago." Bobby stared at her. "I look online when I was at school, looking for all your names," she explained. "I found both you and Angel, him with some Marine Corps stuff and you from hockey, but neither of you have listed numbers. When I found Uncle Jerry's number, I decided I'd use it to get to you." She laughed again. "Pure brilliance, my plan," she said. "I called saying that my mother had been one of the foster kids Evelyn helped. Told Jerry that my mother had died and there were some things of hers that I thought Evelyn would like. He gave me your guys' address to send the stuff to. He didn't tell me that Gramma was dead," she added softly. "I don't think he wanted to put anymore pressure on me since I'd already lost my mother."

Bobby frowned, sadness stealing over him as he thought about how easy it would be to believe a story like the one Evy'd made up. Evelyn had helped so many people, Jerry would never have thought twice about it. "That's the sort of thing Jerry would do," Bobby said finally. "He cares so much about other people."

"That's not a bad thing," Evy said with a small smile. She got up and stretched. "I'll go take a shower and we'll go, if that's okay with you?"

Bobby nodded and watched Evy walked away. He didn't move until he heard her footsteps go into the bathroom and the shower turn on. Tears started to fall and he buried his face in his hands, sobbing quietly. Poor Evy, the poor, broken little girl. So many horrible things, even ones that she hadn't told them about yet, ones they could only guess at. She was tainted in ways that Daniela, Amelia, and Jake would never be.

"Oh God, Jackie," he whispered to the quiet air around him. "I wish you were here to protect her. She needs you so much."

Thin arms wrapped around him, cuts and bruises that were starting to heal became blurry as tears flooded anew. Evy clung to him as he cried, her own tears running into Bobby's greying hair. "I wish he was here too," she whispered.

* * *

**So yes, I have no idea what Jack's last name was before he was a Mercer. I've seen two stories where it was Bradshaw, but I have no idea if that was in the movie somewhere or what, so I just made one up.**

**I'm having issues with Bobby. Do you guys think it's weird that he's so emotional now? I think that it's understandable because he failed his Jackie and now he sees Evy as a chance to repay that debt so he feels like he can let go a little around her. Please give me your thoughts.**

**Please review. I don't have anything to promise this time, but I do have to scream in joy for the fact the _Eragon_ comes out soon so that I can see more pretty Garrett Hedlund. So here goes:**

_**:::scream of joy:::**_


	5. How Far Away Is Never?

**New chapter, who's excited? No one? Fantastic, LOL.**

**Enjoy!

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**

Angel sat back and sighed, a smile on his face as he watched Evy and Jake fooling around at the end of the table. Jake had taken to his new cousin with something bordering on religious zeal. Inside, Angel marvelled at the fact that a girl who had been through so much was still capable of the gentle happiness of being around a loving family. It was astounding that she even had the ability to love anyone anymore.

"Whatcha thinking about, baby?" Sofi asked, reaching over to hold his hand as Bobby got up and started clearing off the table.

"Nothin' really," Angel replied. "It's just nice to see her smiling."

Sofi smiled down at her son and niece. "Her smile is just like his," she ventured gently, a sad edge to her voice. "It must be hard for you," she added, her eyes looking deep into his, her face understanding.

Angel drew a quavering breath. "It feels like he's suddenly here again," he muttered, looking away from them as his eyes filled with tears. Blinking furiously, he continued, "I thought we'd lost him forever, but now Evy's here and it's like he was never gone. She brought him back somehow."

Sofi squeezed her husbands hand and got up. "Alright you two," she said, gathering up the dishes. "Finish your food. Jake you've still got homework and we don't want to tire out Evy. Tomorrow's going to be busy and I want all your homework done."

"Aw, Mama," Jake said, turning his liquid brown eyes up to her, his face pleading. "I have all Sunday to finish it. It's Friday and I only have a little bit, can't I wait and do it later?"

Sofi fought back a smile. Jake had lighter skin than Angel and was short like her, but he was thick-set and his face was a thinner version of his father's. It was always hard to make him do as he was told when Jake turned those big puppy-dog eyes on her. Sighing, Sofi forced herself to ignore it this time. Even though Evy was obviously enjoying herself, the girl's eyes still looked bruised and her skin was pale. She needed to wind down a little and rest.

"Not this time, baby," Sofi said, batting her son lightly on the head. "Finish up and go do your homework. Evy, why don't you go watch some TV and relax?"

Evy smiled. "Thanks Aunt Sofi," she said. "But I never got into TV. I'm more of a reader."

"Really?" Bobby said as he came back into the dining room. Somehow he hadn't expected that.

"Yeah. I love fantasy books and poetry," she said, her eyes lighting up the same way that Jack's had when he talked about music. "That's one thing I regret about coming here," she added wistfully. "I had another bag that was full of my favorite books that I lost somewhere along the way."

"If you make a list, I could go get copies for you," Sofi offered. "There's a second-hand bookstore a few blocks from here, I'm sure I could find them."

Evy smiled so widely that Angel was shocked. It was probably the most openly innocent smile he'd ever seen on her face. "Would you really?" she asked, hardly daring to hope that things could be this good.

"Of course, baby," Sofi answered with a smile before she went into the kitchen to start the dishes. Once she was away from them, Sofi felt tears start to fall. Evy's happy voice echoed through the house as she joked with Jake about his homework. This girl was so happy over something so stupid. Second hand books. She'd come here with nothing, running away from God-knows-what and she had almost passed out from the joy of getting her book collection replaced.

Angel came up behind his wife and wrapped his strong arms around her waist. "It's so awful, Angel," Sofi whispered. "I feel guilty when I make her that happy. I'm afraid that I'll mess it up and hurt her somehow."

"I know, babe," Angel whispered, his breath tickling her ear. "I feel the same way."

- - - -

Bobby and Evy sat in the living room, the only sound coming from the hockey game on TV and papers rustling as Jake did his homework in the dining room. Evy was curled up in a chair by the fireplace, her face buried in a book of poetry that she'd found on the bookshelves. Bobby looked over at his niece, considering her as she read.

New clothes and a few square meals had done a lot for Evy. Bobby had almost laughed at the choices she'd made at the mall that day. She wore the same styles that Jack did, the punk-rocker stuff that Bobby had always teased him about. The long-sleeve flannel shirt she wore was black with little white skulls covering it and tight black jeans had shown that even though she was thin, the girl was obviously athletic. The muscles that showed through the tight fabrics confirmed that she was no lazy homebody or strung out crack addict. When Bobby had asked her, Evy had admitted modestly that she played soccer and hockey, and was fantastic at both.

_Jake surely thinks so at least,_ Bobby thought, chuckling to himself. The two kids had played one-on-one in the street and Evy had whipped Jake's ass. Bobby had never seen anyone play like she did. Evy was fast and cunning and always seemed to be three steps ahead of any move that Jake had come up with. He couldn't even win when he started to play dirty. Bobby thought he might convince her to join him, Angel, and Jerry in a pick-up game sometime. She might be good enough to offset the advantage of experience with the other guys in the neighbourhood.

As if sensing her uncle's eyes, Evy looked up and smiled. "Something wrong?" she asked.

"Nope," Bobby replied easily. "Just thinking. Watching you play hockey today, I think you might be good enough to come with me when I head out for a pick-up game. You play like you were made for it. I've never seen hockey played like you do it."

Evy shrugged. "I never got the chance to play much ice hockey," she told him. "I played roller hockey in California. There was never enough ice to play on in the places where I lived."

Bobby laughed. "Maybe that's the difference," he said. "You have to learn different technique with roller hockey."

"Done!" Jake cried gleefully from the dining room, slamming his binder shut. "I hate school," he added as he dropped onto the rug in front of the TV. "So fucking boring."

"Watch your mouth," Sofi said, coming into the living room. "Just wanted to say goodnight. Evy, everyone's coming over around one, what time would you like me to get you up so you have time to get ready?"

Evy watched Sofi and Angel kiss their son, but she couldn't answer. Her heart ached for her father. She wished that he could be in this room right now, kissing her goodnight the way that his brothers kissed their children.

"Evy?" Sofi said, frowning in worry.

"I'm fine, just tired," Evy said quickly, forcing herself to smile. "Ten o'clock should be okay."

"Great, I'll get you up then." Evy stared in shock as Sofi bent down and kissed her forehead. "Night, love," she said with a smile.

Angel hugged Evy and tousled her hair. "Sleep well, kid," he said.

Evy stared at them as they went to bed. Bobby's heart caught at the look on her face. He wondered if she'd received her last kind goodnight before her mother died ten years ago.

"You okay, Evy?" Jake asked, his face creased with worry for his cousin.

She forced another smile. "Yeah, fine," she lied. "I think I'll go to bed." Bobby glanced at the clock, surprised to see that it was nearly eleven.

"You should go to be too, Jakey," Bobby said, turning off the TV and hauling his body up, trying to ignore the cracking joints that told him how old he was.

"Aw, Uncle Bobby," Jake said, his tone innocent and wheedling.

"Don't you 'Uncle Bobby' me, boy," Bobby said, stepping around the coffee table. "It's time for bed and if you don't go right now, I'll have to use force."

"Oh yeah?" Jake challenged.

Evy stifled a laugh as she watched them. Jake was purposely bating Bobby into a game they probably played daily. Sure enough, Bobby pounced suddenly on the boy and started tickling his ribs, filling the living room with happy shrieks of laughter.

Standing there watching her family (her _family_, God what a thought), Evy felt lighter suddenly. It was the right thing to do, coming here. In a way, her father was still here. She'd been given Jack's old room and so many of his things were still in there. She'd found his guitar in the closet, the same one he'd played for her so many times. His clothes still hung in the closet, that scent of leather and spices still lingering after so many years.

_Home_, Evy thought as she looked around. After ten years of hell, she was finally home.

The phone rang suddenly, cutting through the laughter like a knife. Evy stared at it, trying to force down the panic that was rising in her throat. It wouldn't be him, he couldn't know that she was here, there was no way.

Bobby frowned as he got up and grabbed the phone. "Yeah?" he rumbled. Evy watched his face become impassive even though the skin tightened angrily around his eyes. "Oh yeah?" Bobby demanded suddenly. "What makes you think that?" Bobby's face was now contorted in rage. "I don't see why the fuck she'd come here, I don't even believe my brother had a kid. So here's what we'll do, you never fucking call my house again or I'll find you and beat your motherfuckin' ass, how's that?"

After a few minutes of silence where Evy could hear a man yelling on the other end of the line, Bobby spoke. "You and what fucking army? Don't call me again. If some punk kid turned up at my house I don't give a damn if she's the next coming, I wouldn't take her in, so find her on your own."

Bobby slammed the phone down and turned to look at Evy. She was holding on to the chair she'd been sitting in, looking like she might faint. "Jake, bed. Now," Bobby said flatly. The boy didn't need telling twice, in a flash he was up the stairs and his door was closing.

"So," Bobby said deliberately to Evy. "Wanna tell me why Kevin Brown is so eager to find you?"

Evy shook her head, her eyes wide with fear. "He won't really come here," she managed to say. "He's all talk, but he hasn't got the stones or the money to come out here and find you."

"What I wanna know is how he got this number," Bobby growled.

"He didn't get it from me if that's what you're saying," Evy flared at once. "He had a friend who lived in Lansing, but he moved out to Fresno years ago. Maybe he was able to get it. How hard could it have been, he was Union and probably got it from someone who knew Jerry. It's not my fault!" she shouted at Bobby, fear still fresh and deep in her eyes.

"Are you sure he won't come here?" Bobby demanded after a minute.

"Yes," Evy snapped, ignoring the terror in her heart. "Now I'm going to bed. Good night, Bobby."

She swept passed him, trying to mask fear with anger. Bobby stood there for a moment, but he moved when he heard Evy's feet hit the stairs. "Evy," he called. She paused, but she didn't look at him. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I'm just so worried about hurting anyone, even you."

Evy snickered; the sound was like a whip to Bobby. "If that's how you care about people, then I'm a little worried," she replied sharply.

Bobby flinched slightly. "I loved my brother very much, Evy," he said, his voice barely a whisper in the still air. "I died along with him that day and the guilt I feel is bigger than anything. Having you here is very hard for us. You're a living reminder of the brother we lost." Bobby took a deep breath, wondering how to say it. Jerry was the one good with words, Bobby had never felt more stupid in his life.

"Sometimes things won't come out right," he said finally. "I want to protect you, but I want to protect everyone else too. I can't protect me if you lie to me or keep things from me, Evy. Do you understand?"

Evy was still, Bobby wondered if she was even listening. "I understand," she said finally. Her voice was drained and flat. When she turned to look down at him, her eyes were glassy and her face expressionless. "It's just hard for me to believe that you'll help me. I'm just waiting for you to make me leave."

Bobby smiled up at her. "My mom had a saying," he said. "She told it to all of us when she adopted us. 'Sometimes you're born to people, but a family finds you along the way.' We are your family, Evy, and that will never change."

Evy's control crumbled. Tears spilled over and she sobbed once before she managed to master herself again. "How far away is never?" she asked. When Bobby didn't answer, the girl ran up the stairs and shut the door.

Bobby wished more than anything that he could answer her, tell her that "never" would never come for them. Walking back into the living room, Bobby continued into the dining room where he stared at the pictures that hung on the wall. Before it had only been four portraits, one of each of Evelyn's boys, now there were others. Sofi was there, along with Jake, Daniela, Amelia, Camille and Evelyn herself. They'd have to get one of Evy soon: she should be up there with the rest of the family.

Bobby stared at Jack's picture, empty sadness filling his heart. The brother in that picture would never die, would never age, would never be hurt again. _Oh, little brother,_ Bobby thought helplessly. _How far away _is_ never?

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**Come on, you know you wanna . . . . review cause this is the best story ever!**

**Please review!**

**Oh, and I must share the good news with people who actually might care. I have officially written 90 poems and stories on my fictionpress account. YAY!! If you ever get bored of fanfiction and feel the morbid urge to read highly depressing poetry, nip over to fictionpress .com and read my stuff. I've got the same name there, so you can just search for me.**


	6. Family

**This chapter is longer than any of the others, but I hope it doesn't bore you guys too much.**

**Thanks for all the reviews; it's so nice to know that people like this story. Between you an me, the rest of my fanfiction is total shit, so it's nice to know that I can write something worth reading on this site :)**

**To Iris Knotwise- If only I had the power to promise Garrett covered in whipped cream in return for reviews. Alas, I am but a nobody. Still, one day when I'm a director, I'll do a movie where he has to do a scene like that . . . :::evil laugh:::**

**Disclaimer: _Four Brothers_ is not my property because I am not a money-grubbing studio who wants to scrape up every penny possible.**

**Enjoy!

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Evy sighed and turned back to the closet, going over her wardrobe for the millionth time in the last hour. It was almost noon and she still had no idea what she was going to wear.

_This is so stupid,_ she thought, gritting her teeth in frustration. _This is a family dinner, not a fucking ball._

Yes, a family dinner. Evy was of two minds about that. Last night, after she had made sure that Bobby and the others were asleep, she'd gone down to the dining room and stared moodily at the portraits on the wall. Her family, ranged out there for her to see, but they were still strangers. She was so happy at the thought of having a family, at being able to finally call people "Aunt" and "Uncle" and "cousin", but she was so sad at the thought.

She hadn't been able to tear her eyes from her dad's picture for nearly an hour. She'd memorized his face and she could call it into her memory at a moments notice, but seeing him there, frozen in time hurt more than any memory. That wasn't her Jack Mercer in the picture. That was the Jack Mercer that Bobby, Angel, and Jerry had teased, that Evelyn had saved . . . that her mother had loved. Evy's Jack was never frozen: he was always moving, laughing, playing his guitar and singing. Her Jack was alive, more alive than anyone she'd ever met.

But her Jack wasn't here anymore, he'd never be here again. _Daddy,_ Evy had thought longingly, running her fingers over the cold glass, tracing her father's young face. His last gift had been this family, this place where she was right then. Even though he had never intended for Evy to miss so much time with them, she knew that Jack would have wanted her here.

_This is my family,_ Evy told herself sternly. _I don't have to put on a show for them, I just have to be me._

Reaching down, she grabbed a pair of jeans and a long-sleeve black shirt with red flames decorating the cuffs and neck. After she got dressed, Evy considered herself in the mirror. Grabbing some scissors, she cut holes at the top of the sleeves so that her shoulders showed through and then added thumbholes in the cuffs so that there was no danger of her sleeves riding up and revealing the bruises. A studded belt and spiked bracelet finished her outfit.

Evy hurried to the bathroom, pausing to tickle Jake as he ran downstairs to play hockey with his friends. She part her hair and swept a chunk of it across her forehead so that it covered the cut and bruise over her left eye. Neither of them was very noticeable, but Evy would rather be safe than sorry. A little black eyeliner and some mascara finished her make up.

The finally result was perfect. Evy had always tried to look nice when she was going someplace, but she prided herself in the fact that it didn't take much to make her look pretty. She had to have gotten that from Jack. Every picture she'd seen of him had just reinforced how handsome he'd been. Besides that, her mother, Grace, had been utterly helpless without a lot of make up and the perfect clothes. Evy smiled softly at the thought of her parents. Grace had loved Jack so much that she'd never given up hope that he'd come back. She'd died still waiting. Jack had loved Grace, but he had never been in love with her. Looking back now, Evy could tell that she was the real reason that he had stayed. He loved her far more than he had ever loved her mother.

_"You were the promise I get to make to the world,"_ he told her once. _"Because of you, I'll be able to leave something wonderful behind, someone who has the power to make things better."_

And then he'd died, along with every promise he'd ever made to her. Evy forced herself not to cry, gulping and blinking her eyes so quickly that she got dizzy. Turning around, Evy locked the bathroom door and went to the medicine cabinet. She rifled through it until she found the razorblade she'd hidden there. Without another thought, she rolled up her sleeve and sliced three deep cuts across her wrist. She grabbed a washcloth and shoved it under her sleeve to keep the blood from running down her hand or wetting her sleeve.

Opening the door, she slammed right into Bobby. "Sorry," she said quickly, putting her hand behind her back so he wouldn't see the thick bump of fabric.

"You okay?" Bobby asked with a frown.

"Yeah," she said, forcing herself to smile. "Just fine."

Jake bounded up the stairs behind them. "Hey Evy, the guys wondered-" his voice trailed off and Evy could tell that she'd be caught. "What happened to your arm?" he asked.

She stepped back, but not quick enough. Bobby grabbed her arm and pulled her closer. "Let me see," he said quietly.

"No," she said, trying to pull away.

"What's going on?" Angel asked, coming out of his and Sofi's bedroom.

"She won't let me see her arm," Bobby said.

Angel turned to Jake. "Go see if your mother needs any help." Jake sent a worried glance at Evy, but hurried downstairs anyway.

Bobby pushed Evy into her bedroom and Angel pulled the door shut after him. Evy held her wrist, panic fluttering in her throat. The room was suddenly too small, the men in it far too big. These were her uncles, they weren't going to hurt her, she was safe. Evy repeated that over and over in her mind, but panic was rising anyway, along with the need to run, to hide, to be anywhere but right there.

"Evy." Bobby's voice was gentle, soft and suddenly far too much like her dad's. Evy felt the tears start to fall and she dropped to the floor, her legs suddenly weak.

They knelt down in front of her and Angel gently took her arm. Rolling back the sleeve, Angel handed Bobby the washcloth and looked at the cuts. "I couldn't stop myself," she whispered in shame. What would Jack have thought if he had seen this? Would the same disappointment that filled her uncles' eyes fill his?

"It's okay," Bobby told her quietly. "We understand. I'll go get some bandages." He smiled and tilted her tear-stained face up. "We'll fix it baby, we'll make it okay."

Evy smiled at Bobby as he left the room. Angel held the cloth over the cuts, his big fingers massaging them softly through the fabric. "I'm sorry," Evy said softly. "I never meant for Jake to see anything like this."

Angel shook his head. "Jake doesn't know what happened," he told her. "And if he did find out, he'd understand. His mom made real sure that he was an understanding person. He'd be more worried about helping you so that you didn't have to do this anymore."

Evy nodded as Bobby came back with a roll of white gauze and some medical tape. After they'd wrapped up her arm, Evy pulled the sleeve down, giving a small sigh of relief that it didn't show.

"C'mon," Bobby said, getting to his feet and holding out a hand to help Evy. "We'll let you fix your make up. We'll all be downstairs when you're ready."

Evy nodded and looked away as they walked out the door. She could feel that someone else was there and she looked up. Angel was standing in the door, watching her. His eyes were sad, but a small smile ran across his face. "You're eyes are just like his," he whispered. "They always seemed somehow more beautiful after he cried."

Evy fought back more tears as Angel walked away and closed the door. She'd already fucked this up, she might have tainted Jake by showing him how screwed up she really was. Evy would never forgive herself if she took away any of the innocence her cousin still had.

She sat on the bed, rocking herself gently as she gained control over her emotion. After she had stopped her tears, she stood up and went to the door. She paused, her hand on the doorknob, and frowned into the room. Even though Angel was gone and she had been alone, she still felt like someone else was there.

- - - -

Jerry leaned against the bathroom counter, staring blankly at the mirror in front of him. It wasn't his own reflection he saw there, but Jack's. His mind played a memory, the night that Evelyn had sat them all down and told them that she'd decided to adopt Jack. They'd been so happy and Jack had been shocked by how glad they all were. He had always felt like he was nothing, just a burden on Evelyn and the others. Jack had once told Jerry that he felt like he was one big problem that sucked the life from everyone around him.

"Jerry?" Camille came into the bathroom and wrapped her arms around his waist. Jerry stood straight and turned around so that he could hug his wife to his chest. "This is really hard for you, isn't it?" she whispered to him.

Jerry swallowed hard. "I keep hearing him that day," he choked. "Every time she looks at me, I can see the pain in his eyes before he died."

"Baby, she doesn't want anything from any of you," Camille said firmly. "She didn't come here for apologies or excuses, she came here because we're her family and she had nowhere else to go." Taking his face in her hands, Camille kissed Jerry softly. "Don't confuse the dead with the living, Jerry. She's here now, she's alive now, Jack isn't. Concentrate on Evy because she's your niece and you can help her, not because you feel like you killed Jack just as much as Victor Sweet did."

Jerry nodded and hugged his wife. "It's just so hard to find out that she was alive all this time," he told her. "We didn't help her, didn't love her, didn't even consider looking for Jack's friends to tell them. We could have saved her thirteen years of hell if we'd just looked."

"No one can save everyone, Jerry," Camille whispered. "Not even Evelyn Mercer."

- - - -

"What's she like, Dad?" Amelia asked excitedly from the backseat.

Jerry smiled. "I told you, honey, she's nice. She's a lot like her father. I think you'll both like her."

"Come on Dad, give me more than that," Amelia whined. "Is she sporty? Preppy? Punk? Gothic? Druggie? Come on, give her a title."

Jerry sighed. "Honey, she wears the same punk sort of style as Jack, she's fantastic at hockey, and she likes to read fantasy and poetry, what clique does that make her?"

"Weirdo," Daniela said sagely.

"Shut up, I think she sounds cool," Amelia flared at her sister.

Daniela rolled her eyes and buried her nose in the Chemistry book on her lap. Amelia stared out the window, tapping her foot on the floor. Jerry grinned again as he glanced at her in the rear view mirror. Amelia was a real live wire. She was always moving, always doing something. She'd taken to hockey with a zeal that had made Bobby almost breathless with happiness. She and Jake used to play together until school had taken up too much of Amelia's free time. Deep down, Jerry hoped that she and Evy would become good friends because he knew that Daniela wasn't going to want to become close with her new cousin.

Daniela was everything that Amelia wasn't. She was poised, quiet, even-tempered, and so intelligent that she could outthink teachers. Jerry loved both his daughters, but when it came down to it, he preferred spending time with Amelia. Daniela was stuck-up and far too girly to enjoy the sort of romping fun that Jerry had always encouraged with his kids. Not that Daniela was boring, because they'd had many interesting debates over the years, she just wasn't as much fun as Amelia.

"Shit!" Jerry shouted as he turned onto the street where Bobby and the others lived. A black blur had just shot across the street, tossing a tall boy easily out of its way before spinning around and sending a punk careening into a trashcan a hundred yards away. Rolling down the window, Jerry shouted, "Watch where the hell you're going!" The person turned to face him, and he saw Evy's grinning face under the untidy mass of sandy hair that she'd inherited from her father. She and Jake hurried across the snow-covered lawn as Jerry pulled into the driveway.

"I could've killed you," Jerry fumed at the girl.

She just grinned wider. "I saw you coming," she said. "Besides, I'm still breathing, you only lost about two years off your life, so what're you bitching about?"

Amelia burst out laughing as she climbed out of the car. "She's got a point, Dad," the girl chuckled, brushing a stray strand of bushy hair behind her ear. "I'm Amelia, nice to meet you," she said to Evy, holding out her hand.

Evy looked down at Amelia's hand, and then threw her arms around her cousin. "It's nice to meet you too," she said as Amelia hugged her back.

"Hi Evy, honey." Evy looked up as a short black woman came around the car. This had to be Jerry's wife. "I'm your Auntie Camille." Evy hugged her as well, smiling.

"And this is my oldest, Daniela," Jerry said, putting his hand on Daniela's shoulder.

Evy and Daniela sized each other up and it couldn't have been clearer that they didn't think much of each other. Daniela in a pink skirt, sweater, and matching pink Uggs was a total opposite to Evy in head to toe black. "Nice to meet you," Evy said finally.

Daniela gave a small smile. "Pleasure indeed," she said, before turning to walk into the house.

Jerry braced himself for the sad comment that he was sure would come. Evy would probably be hurt that her cousin had been so short with her. He looked at the girl and felt shock well up as she surprised him again.

Evy looked at Amelia with a wicked smile. "I'll bet she's a real drag," Evy said, jerking her head toward the house.

"You have no idea," Amelia replied.

"Wanna play some hockey while we wait for the food to get ready?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

Jerry and Camille watched the two of them rush back to the street and grab sticks. When the play started, it couldn't have been more obvious that the two girls were made to play together. They turned away and went inside.

Bobby was sitting on the couch reading the paper while Angel sharpened his skates by the fireplace. Daniela was in the kitchen talking to Sofi, her voice rising in excitement about something. Camille said hello to the boys before going to join Sofi and Daniela. Jerry sat on the couch next to Bobby and stared at his brother until he folded the paper and put it down.

"She looks good," Jerry started.

"That she does," Bobby replied. "We took her shopping, she's been eating, doesn't smoke too much. I think she's well on her way to being healthy."

"She plays hockey better than you," Jerry said with a grin.

Bobby and Angel laughed. "Is that where Amelia is?" Angel asked.

"Yep. Those two are amazing together."

"I'll bet," Bobby answered.

They sat there quietly for a bit longer, before Jerry broke the silence. "Any weird calls lately?"

Bobby groaned and leaned back into the couch. "Yeah, last night."

"Same guy?"

"Yep, Kevin Brown."

"What does Evy say?"

"Evy doesn't say anything," Angel answered.

Jerry looked at his brothers, worry creasing his forehead.

"She told me that he's all talk and no balls," Bobby told him. "She says he doesn't have the money to come out here and look."

"You believe her?" Jerry asked.

Bobby shrugged. "I dunno. She's keeping shit from us, not telling us what the deal is with this guy. I don't think he'd come here, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't be able to make trouble for us anyway."

"That's true," Jerry said seriously.

"So what are we gonna do?" Angel asked.

"I don't know yet," Bobby admitted. "I think we just have to keep letting things play out. And then-"

"We'll wing it," Angel and Jerry said together.

- - - -

Evy couldn't remember the last time she was this happy. In fact, she didn't know if she'd ever even been this happy. She felt like she might explode from the molten joy inside her.

She was sitting between Jake and Amelia and the three of them hadn't stopped cutting up since they'd sat down. Jerry sat across from Amelia with Camille and Sofi to his left and Daniela on his right. Angel sat opposite Bobby at the end near his wife. The room echoed with laughter and chattering voices as they steadily ate their way through ham, turkey, potatoes, salad, and three different kinds of bread since everyone seemed to have their own preference. Talk had paused only for the few minutes it took for Sofi and Camille to get the cake, pie, and cookies for desert while Evy, Amelia, and Jake cleared the table. Now they'd almost finished all of the sweets and Evy thought she'd eaten enough to let her survive for several years.

During a lull in the conversation, Daniela spoke for the first time. "So Evy," she said. "You're sixteen right?"

Evy nodded. "I turn seventeen in March." She laughed. "Nine months to the _day_ after my dad's birthday."

The rest of them laughed, but Daniela didn't even crack a smile. "So you're a junior in high school then?"

Evy shrugged, the smile melting off her face. "I never started school this year, so I'll have to start from scratch."

"Did you do well in school while you went?" Daniela pressed.

Evy frowned slightly at her cousin. "I did pretty well. Not straight As, but I never got below a C-plus."

"Oh," Daniela sat back, looking oddly satisfied. "So I suppose you're actually behind a grade from Amelia. But it's alright, you'll still go to the same school. Not that many people your age will hang out with you, of course. We keep friendships within our classes at the high schools here."

"Shut up Daniela," Amelia snapped. Shooting her sister a disgusted looked, she turned to Evy. "I'll help you through. You could probably start in the second semester and do independent study, then summer school. You'll be at the same level with me for senior year."

"Oh Amelia, don't give her false hope," Daniela said smoothly.

"Daniela," Camille said warningly.

Evy stood up. She was standing sword straight and cold fury emanated from her. "If you think I'm stupid, just say so," she said, her voice cold and quiet. "But don't ever try this embarrassment bullshit again or I swear to God, cousin or not I'll kill you where you stand."

She swept out of the dining room, grabbing Bobby's leather jacket off on of the chairs in the kitchen before going outside and slamming the door behind her.

Jerry and the others glared at Daniela, but it was Amelia who spoke first. "How dare you?" she snapped. "Who the fuck do you think you are? She's your cousin and you treat her like that. Sometimes you're such a fucking bitch." Amelia hurried out of the room and out the backdoor after Evy.

Evy was sitting on a rickety picnic table smoking as she glared down at the snow. "I'm sorry," Amelia said, sitting down next to her. "I don't know why she does that to people."

Evy snickered. "Lapse in an otherwise fantastic gene pool," she said. Amelia laughed. "You smoke?" Evy asked, holding out a pack of Camel 99s to her cousin.

Amelia stole a glance over her shoulder at the house. "Not when my parents are around," she chuckled. "But I'll make an exception because it's either that or go in and murder my beloved older sister."

They sat in silence, puffing on their cigarettes lost in thought. Amelia cleared her throat. "I'm really sorry about your dad," she said quietly. "It's horrible that he had to miss your life."

Evy nodded. "I only got to know him for about a year," she told Amelia. "He went off with his band before he even knew my mom was pregnant. He came back to visit her, took one look at me, and told Mom that he wanted to move in." She smiled. "He was so great. He'd sing to me and read to me. I got more hugs from him in the first month that he lived with us than I've gotten in the last year." She tossed her cigarette into the snow and lit another one, inhaling before she continued. "When he left to come here, he said that he'd bring us back to meet the family when things were safe again. I didn't know what he meant, still don't in fact. When he didn't come back I worried that it was because of me."

Evy drew a breath, feeling the tears rising in her eyes as a memory washed over her. It was the middle of the night and she woke up hearing the sound of a guitar. She'd thought it was Jack, that he'd finally come home to them. Evy had run through their apartment to her parents' room, following the sound of her father's music. When she'd thrown open the door, there had been only her mother, playing one of Jack's guitars in the darkness, sobbing to herself. "I wish you'd come home," Grace had whispered. "We'd be so much better if you came home." Evy had gone back to bed with her three year old mind telling her that Daddy wasn't coming back because they were bad.

"Evy?" Amelia's face was sympathetic, and she hugged her cousin as Evy let the tears fall. "I'm so sorry," Amelia whispered. "I shouldn't have brought up your dad. I was trying to distract you and I just made things worse. I'm such a dork sometimes."

Evy laughed through her tears and hugged her cousin. "It's okay, it's actually kinda nice to hear someone talk about him. I get the feeling they don't talk about him at all."

"You're right, they don't," Amelia said sadly. "But I'm sure you can see why."

Evy frowned and pulled away, looking at her cousin. "What do you mean?"

Amelia gasped. "You don't know?" she breathed. "They didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"Hey, get your asses inside, it's too damn cold out here," Bobby yelled suddenly from the backdoor.

Amelia grabbed Evy's arm and pulled her close. "I'll get Mom and Dad to let me stay the night and I'll tell you, but on one condition."

"Sure," Evy agreed.

"You can't ever tell them that you know," Amelia said, her face serious for the first time since they'd met. "I mean it. They can't know that you know, it's possible that they're waiting to tell you, but you really need to know. Do you swear?"

"I swear," Evy replied, clasping Amelia's hands.

"You two fucking deaf out there?" Angel bellowed. "Get the hell outta the snow!"

Rolling their eyes, the two girls hurried inside, Evy leaving a half smoked cigarette on the table. When the door closed after them, a small breeze picked up and tossed the cigarette into the snow with a soft _hiss_. For a moment, a hint of bittersweet laughter filled the empty yard and a deep voice whispered, _"Evy."

* * *

_

**Okay, here it be. I like it. I can't believe that I actually like something I've written. That's damn near unheard of.**

**So yes, I had to add that strange bit at the end and the weird sense of someone's presence in her room, but get used to it cause it's going to happen a lot all leading up to the grand ending that's going to have you all bawling your fucking eyes out. But, will they be tears of sorrow or tears of joy?**

**To tell you the truth, I really have no idea, but you'll just have to wait and see anyway. I don't have a clue how this is going to end, I'm just hoping that this won't get pathetically sappy. Warn me if it does.**

**Please review. This time my bargain is that I'll send Garrett Hedlund obsessive love notes and sign them with your pen names if you read and don't review. Don't push me, I'll do it. :::crazy eyes:::**

**Hehe, enjoy. Next chapter soon.**


	7. The Gory Details

**So, I'm updating quickly because my sister says that she hates to be left hanging on a story.**

**And if she doesn't review every single chapter I'll never let the brat get her hands on another cigarette.**

**Anyway, thanks for all the reviews.**

**Disclaimer: Roses are red, Violets are blue, _Four Brothers_ doesn't belong to me, whoop-de-freaking-doo.**

**Enjoy!**

Evy and Amelia sat on the porch roof smoking their way through another pack of cigarettes. It was nearly midnight and everyone had gone home or gone to sleep. The snow had stopped finally and the sky above them was clear and filled with stars.

Amelia sighed and laid back. "It's so nice out here, even though it fucking freezing," she said.

Evy nodded. "Tell me," she said after a moment.

Amelia took a long pull and sat up. "You know that Jack came here because Gramma died, right?"

Evy nodded. "I know that now, but I didn't then."

"Okay, well here's what else you don't know." Amelia took a deep breath. "Bobby came back to get revenge. Gramma was killed in a liquor store hold up and Bobby wanted to find the murderers and kill them."

Evy nodded. That sounded like something Bobby would do. Even though he wasn't overtly violent these days, that thug soul was still there.

"So, they found out that it wasn't a random killing like the cops had told them," Amelia continued. "It turns out that two guys were hired to kill Gramma. They found out that it was a guy named Victor Sweet.

"At that time, my dad was trying to work on a project to redevelop some of the old factories downtown. Sweet was the head gangster then, he ran all the business. When my dad wouldn't let him in on the project, Sweet got it canned."

Amelia paused and took a few pulls on her cigarette. "Bad time, that," she said. "I can remember Dad being really uptight. He lost everything to that project." She shrugged off the memories and continued.

"Anyway, Gramma found out and tried to go after Sweet through the police. Turns out she got caught by a dirty cop who sent the police report to Sweet. When Bobby and the others moved against Sweet, he sent guys to shot up Gramma's house and kill them."

Amelia turned to look at Evy then. "That's when Jack died," she said quietly. "Someone lured him out of the house and shot him. He died under that street lamp." She pointed at the pole on the other side of the driveway. Chills ran up Evy's spine as she imagined her father there, life ebbing out of him.

"Why do they blame themselves?" Evy asked her cousin.

"I'm not supposed to know any of this," Amelia said. "I found all this out by eavesdropping on my parents." She looked seriously at Evy. "I can give you all the gory details, but are you sure you really want to hear?"

Evy nodded and Amelia continued. "Jack didn't die with the first shot," she said. "He survived to the end of the gunfight. The whole time he was screaming for Bobby, begging him for help. My dad still hears it in his sleep sometimes and I'm sure the others do too. Bobby thinks Jack's dead because of him. Bobby figures that if he hadn't come back, hadn't pushed so hard for revenge, that Jack would never have been in danger. Dad feels like it's his fault because he was the one that brought Victor Sweet into our lives. Angel blames himself because he couldn't run to Jack and help."

They sat there in silence for a few minutes. Evy stared at the lamppost, an anguished scream of pain echoing in her mind. "I don't think it was their fault," she said quietly.

Amelia gave a grim sort of smile. "Uncle Jack wasn't like any of them. He didn't have the stomach for violence that Angel and Bobby did. He was almost innocent in a way," she added softly.

Evy blinked back tears. She knew that her father had lived a hard life, her mother had told her that his childhood had been very dark and painful. It was unfair that he had died so violently after everything he'd been through. It was worse than a crime, it felt to Evy like total proof that God didn't exist.

Amelia hugged Evy, rocking her gently as she cried. "I'm so sorry, Evy," she whispered. "I'm so, _so_ sorry."

- - - -

Bobby whistled happily to himself as he came downstairs on Saturday morning. He could hear Evy and Amelia playing hockey outside while the other kids in the neighbourhood cheered them on. Angel and Sofi were in the kitchen, talking and laughing quietly together. Everything felt safe, comfortable, and wonderfully complete.

The phone rang as Bobby dropped onto the couch to read the paper, reaching over, he answered with an almost welcoming, "Hello?"

"Where the fuck is she, Mercer?"

Bobby sat up, recognizing Kevin Brown's rough voice. "Didn't I tell you not to call me anymore?" he snapped.

"The kid is mine, Mercer, _mine_," Kevin snarled. "If I find out you're hiding her, I swear to God I'll kill you and everyone you care about."

Bobby snickered. "I'd like to see you fucking try."

"Oh yeah?" Kevin's voice became smooth. "I must say, Amelia and Daniela are beautiful girls. Never woulda known that Jerry was the father if I didn't see it with my own eyes."

"Stay the fuck away from them," Bobby shouted. "Stay the hell away from my family!"

Kevin laughed. "We'll talk soon Mercer. Once you've decided if one little slut is worth the lives of all your brothers and their families."

Bobby held the phone so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. He looked up at Angel, his face twisted in anger. "We need to find out why this guy wants her so bad," he said between clenched teeth. "I don't give a damn if we need to use torture, that kid is going to tell us everything."

Angel nodded, knowing that it was best not to question Bobby when he was in a mood like this. "I'll call Jerry," he volunteered.

"Good," Bobby replied. "Tell him that now would be a real good time for Camille to take the girls and go visit her mother."

Angel nodded again and walked into the kitchen to make the call. Bobby turned and looked out the window, watching his nieces playing in the street. "This shit shouldn't be happening," he whispered. "Why can't this shit just stop?"

- - - -

"Alright, I'm here and Camille is getting ready to go," Jerry said as he walked into the living room. "Where's Amelia?"

"Sofi took her and Evy to the bookstore when she took Jake to practice," Angel answered.

"Okay, so what's the problem?" Jerry dropped into the chair by the fireplace and stared at his brothers.

"We need to get Evy to tell us why Brown wants her back," Bobby said. "He called me today and he knows about Amelia and Daniela."

Jerry sat up. "Are you telling me that he's here?" he demanded. "Evy told us that he wouldn't come here, are you saying she lied to us?"

"I don't think he's here," Bobby said. "But I think he's got people watching us."

"So he might know that we have Evy?"

"I don't think he does," Angel said. "He would've made a move by now if he knew where she was."

"What do you have planned?" Jerry asked.

Bobby shrugged. "We need to get her to tell us the truth, the whole truth. She can't keep anything back from us anymore. We need to know what it is that she has that makes him so desperate to get her back."

"And how do you plan on getting her to tell you?" Jerry snapped. "She's already proved pretty well that she don't wanna talk about it. What's going to change?"

"Nothing," Bobby said flatly. "Only difference is that now we're going to force her."

Jerry took a sharp breath. "She might just leave if you try," he told them.

Bobby looked over at the picture of Jack in the dining room. "Either way the problem is solved," he replied quietly.

**Shorter chapter this time, but just because I really wanna get to the next one cause it was _soooooooo_ much fun to write. Wow, I'm going to seem really nuts after you read the next chapter. I promise, I'm not totally nuts, just flirting fairly close.**

**Please review! Fifty gold pieces to the best rave review!**


	8. Reveal and Revenge

**Warning: Graphic sentiments and situations are described in this chapter.**

**Okay, this is a really fucked up chapter, but I had a lot of fun writing it. Does that make me psycho? Possibly.**

**Because I'm writing this before anyone has the chance to review the last chapter, my promise of fifty gold pieces shall be carried on to the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I hate you, you hate me, the Mercers are a fucked up family, with one brother shot and a crazy Latin wife, this does not belong to me.**

**Enjoy! Well, enjoy might be the wrong sentiment. Oh fuck it, on with the chapter.

* * *

**

Evy had been having a blast. It sucked that Amelia had to go home, but at the same time Evy was glad for the promise of a little peace and quiet. Sadly, peace and quiet wasn't even close to what she was going to get.

The second they walked through the door after picking Jake up from practice, Evy could tell that something was wrong. Angel was waiting for them and immediately took Sofi aside and told her something that made her look scared and pissed at the same time.

Twenty minutes later, Sofi and Jake were getting into the car, smiling at Evy and tell her not to worry. The second they were gone, worry drowned Evy. She walked into the living room where her uncles were waiting, feeling like she was being led to the gallows.

"What's going on?" she asked.

They stared at her, identical angry glares on their faces. Bobby spoke first. "It's time for you to tell us the truth," he snapped harshly.

Evy took an involuntary step backwards. "What truth?" she demanded.

"Kevin Brown," Angel said shortly.

Evy gulped. "What about him?"

"Why is he so desperate to find you?" Jerry asked.

Evy decided to lie, even though she knew how stupid it was. She forced herself to seem unconcerned. "No idea, why don't you ask him?"

"Goddamnit Evy!" Jerry screamed, jumping to his feet. "This isn't a fucking game! Tell us the truth!"

"I am telling you the truth!" she shrieked back. "I don't know why he wants me back so badly, I haven't got a clue!"

"Stop lying to us!" Angel roared. "He threatened our families over this! He knows where to find Amelia and Daniela and it's only a matter of time before he comes after Jake! Do you want their blood on your hands?"

Evy fought back the panic that threatened to overwhelm her whenever people yelled at her like this. "I can't control what he does," she snapped. "I already told you he won't come here, he must be bluffing."

"He calls you his, Evy," Bobby shouted. "What's the deal? You steal something from him? Drugs? Money? Is he your pimp or something?"

"No!" Evy shouted, but her voice shook with fear.

"Are you his whore? _Are you?_" Bobby screamed, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her.

"I'm not a whore!" she screamed, her eyes wide with fear now.

"Then why does he want you so badly?" Angel demanded as Bobby released her. "And how the fuck can we believe you? All those injuries could've been caused by guys on the street. Maybe you are this guy's property, you were with him long enough to-"

"To be fucked by him!" Evy screamed suddenly, shoving Bobby as hard as she could so that he stumbled back into Angel. "To be fucking used by him and his sons and his friends! You wanna know why he wants me back? He made five hundred bucks a fuck on me! He brought guys through his house in a never ending line just to get a piece! He lost his meal ticket and he wants me back!"

"So you are his whore," Jerry said, not understanding her because of his anger.

Evy froze as if one of them had slapped her. "I was so stupid," she said suddenly. "So fucking stupid. I thought this would be home, I thought this would be different, but it's not. Well, who's going to go first?" she demanded suddenly.

"What?" Bobby said, stepping back as insane fury twisted Evy's face.

"Who's going first?" she yelled again. She reached up and ripped off her shirt while one hand undid her belt and jeans. "You Jerry?" she shouted at him. "You wanna fuck the whore first? That's all you see isn't it?"

Evy kicked her jeans away and stood in front of them in a black bra and panties, shivering slightly in the cool air. "Well?" she demanded, tears falling so thickly that she couldn't see. "Get started. Do it, I'm used to it by now. That's what every man wants right? _Right?_" she screamed. "I'm used to being raped now. It's happened so many times that I can't even feel it anymore. _Do it!_"

Bobby, Angel and Jerry stared at each other, shock and pain running over their faces as they finally understood. When they looked back at their niece, Evy collapsed to her knees and buried her face in her hands.

"I didn't want to be this anymore," she sobbed. "I wanted to get away but he's in my head. They're all in my head, raping me over and over until I just want to die. Just die so I don't have to hear them anymore."

The brothers couldn't move. They had done this, they had made this girl go through so much by confronting her like this. They hadn't tried to understand or listen. They had just gotten angry and shouted. They were no better than the abusive parents they'd had before Evelyn.

_Bastards_. The word hung in the air in a voice they all recognized. The presence of Jack seemed to assault them suddenly, but whether it was real or in their heads, the brothers didn't know. The accusing, hating word echoed through the room over Evy's tears.

_Bastards_.

Bobby moved first. He grabbed a blanket off the couch and tossed it around Evy's shoulders. Dropping to his knees in front of the crying girl, Bobby pulled her against him, hugging her tightly as she cried.

"I never wanted any of you to know," she sobbed. "I couldn't bear any of you knowing, any of you looking at me and seeing the truth. I'm just a whore, just a useless little whore who let that happen."

"No," Jerry said, his voice breaking with sadness. "No, baby, that's not true. You didn't let it happen, you couldn't have stopped him."

"I stopped fighting," she said, her voice flat and empty now that the sobbing had stopped. "I just laid there and didn't fight. I knew it wouldn't help and I just stopped trying to fight them off."

"It's okay baby," Angel whispered, running his hand softly over her head. "We'll never let that happen again. No one will ever hurt you that way again."

"Don't you understand?" Evy said quietly, pushing Bobby away so that she could look up at them all. "They will, they always will. I'll have them locked up in my head for the rest of my life doing it over and over."

"That's not true," Bobby said quietly, holding the girl's face in his hands. "One day, it'll all go away. When you realize that you're safe, that no one's ever going to force you to do this again, then it'll all go away."

"God how I wish I could believe you," Evy whispered softly. She started to drift off to sleep in Bobby's arms, the stress of the past few days and that ugly scene draining her last bit of energy. As she dropped off, she whispered quietly, "I want my daddy."

- - - -

Bobby paced the living room, clenching and unclenching his fists. Jerry was glaring into the flames, cracking his knuckles every few minutes. Angel sat in brooding silence, running his palm lovingly across the smooth metal of his Beretta pistol.

"I want that fucker dead," Jerry said, breaking the silence that had filled the last hour.

"Me too," Angel said. "And I wanna do it with my bare hands."

Bobby nodded his agreement. "We can't though, we can't risk getting caught," he said, frustration evident in his voice.

"Kelso," Jerry said suddenly.

"What?" Bobby snapped.

"Anton Kelso, that guy you used to know from hockey."

"Yeah, what about him?" Bobby said, frowning.

"He lives in Fresno."

Bobby stopped pacing and turned to his brother, a maniacal grin spreading across his face. "He does at that," he said quietly.

- - - -

Kevin Brown smiled to himself as he sat down at his kitchen table. With any luck, that stupid fucker Bobby Mercer had taken his bluff. When he called this time, the man wouldn't be able to wait to get rid of his brother's bastard daughter.

_Can't wait to get you back, Evy baby,_ Kevin thought, rubbing the bulge in the front of his pants at the very thought of her body. _It's been a long, long time since I had a piece of that ass._

Not only that, but he had six guys lined up for her whenever she got back. He would be 3000 dollars richer when he finally got her back. And after the other guys left, he'd show her the meaning of pain and make sure that she never ran off again.

"You're mine, baby," he moaned, stroking himself as he thought about the pain he was going to put her through. She wouldn't be able to move for weeks, but that would make it easier. The guys could easily use her if she couldn't fight back.

"Hope it was a good one motherfucker."

_BANG!_

Kevin Brown died with his dick in his hand and shock frozen on his face. Kelso looked down at the guy in disgust before shooting him twice more, once in each side of his chest.

"That's for a little girl who couldn't fight back," he muttered.

Kelso turned to leave, but stopped, a feverish grin sliding across his face. Turning around, he fired the last of his clip into Brown's groin.

The last thing he did before he left the house was use Brown's blood to write: _Stay the fuck away from little girls_ on the kitchen table.

- - - -

The phone rang and Bobby picked it up.

"It's done," Kelso said.

"Good. I owe you," Bobby replied, sinking down onto the couch.

"Forget it," Kelso replied. "Just make sure no one ever hurts that kid again."

"You got it."

He hung up and turned to face his brothers. He nodded once. Angel let out an explosive breath and collapsed back in his chair. Jerry buried his face in his hands and sighed.

"What's up?"

They looked up as Evy walked through the door, looking tired and wary. They all smiled at her and she relaxed.

"It's over," Angel said. "Brown won't ever come after you again."

Evy stood there for a moment, frozen in shock. "Did you kill him?" she breathed.

"No," Bobby answered. "But you're safe now, he can't get to you."

Evy sagged against the doorframe, happiness rushing through her veins. It didn't matter how they had done it, but Evy could tell that they weren't lying, that she was really safe.

"You should go back to bed," Jerry said firmly, standing up and going over to her. Evy leaned against him. Jerry helped her up the stairs and returned in a few moments with the news that she'd fallen asleep as soon as her head hit the pillows.

"You aren't going to tell her that we had him killed?" Jerry asked as he sat down.

Bobby shook his head. "Why taint her life with more violence?" he asked quietly. "Jack wouldn't have wanted her to know."

Jerry sighed as he got to his feet. "There are a lot of things Jack wouldn't have wanted for her, but they happened anyway."

"At least she has one thing he does want for her," Angel said quietly. "She's got a family that's never going to leave her."

That night as Bobby crawled into bed, he thought about what Jerry and Angel had said. Yes, Evy now had the family she should have had all along, but was that enough to offset the hell that she'd lived through for most of her life?

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**Yes, so I realize that everyone really hated the brothers when they ganged up on Evy, but that's a logical way that men would have handled the situation. Right then, they were terrified that everything they loved was in danger of being attacked and all they wanted to do was fix it. No offence to the guys reading this story, but when you get right down to it, most men are like bulls in a china store when it comes to feelings.**

**So, please review. 50 gold pieces are still up for grabs.**


	9. Same New Start

**So, because everyone (meaning the two of you who reviewed chapter 8) gave me such good reviews, I have to give 50 gold pieces to everyone!**

**So here they are :::gold piece::: x50.**

**Smiju- dementedness is always fun.**

**Iris Knotwise- this is sad isn't it? But I like that, sad stories are so much better than happy ones.**

**Hope you like this chapter just as much!**

**Disclaimer: _Four Brothers_ is not mine, but does that really matter considering the fact that this is all after the movie and I've changed the characters?

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Evy played with her wallet chain as she sat next to Bobby in the office. They were waiting for the principal of Detroit City High to call them in. Evy hated talking to adults like this. Most of the times that she'd been called to a school office, it had been to be interrogated, either about wounds she had or trouble that they were sure (not without reason) that she had started.

"She's ready for you now," a tall, heavyset black woman said as she came out of the principal's office. She smiled down at them. "Nice to see you in the flesh at last," she said to Evy. "Your cousin Amelia hasn't stopped talking about you all week. I'm Gladys, by the way. Amelia's my aid during fourth period."

"Nice to meet you," Evy said, shaking the woman's hand as she stood up. She cast a leery look at the office door and Gladys laughed.

"Don't worry, kiddo, she doesn't bite." Gladys gave Bobby a sly look. "You'll have to worry more about her attacking Bobby. Lord knows he caused her enough grief when he went here."

Bobby flashed a wicked grin and winked. "I was her favorite and she knows it," he said confidently. Gladys laughed again and waved them into the office.

Principal Myra Golding was an imposing woman. Despite the fact that she was now in her seventies and her hair was whiter than the snow on the windowsill behind her, she still had an air of command. Evy could tell that this was not a woman to cross. Even when Ms. Golding smiled and gestured for them to sit down, Evy felt nervous.

"So nice to see you again, Bobby," she said, her voice filled with mirth. "I must say that I considered retirement when I found out another Mercer would be joining me, but when I found out she wasn't yours I knew I could handle it, even in my old age."

Bobby laughed. "Ms. Golding, you're just like my mother. You could live to be a hundred and never reach old age."

Ms. Golding smiled. "See how he tries to sweet talk me?" she said to Evy, her long-suffering voice making the girl smile. "That's better," she said briskly. Her face grew serious and sympathetic. "I'm very sorry about your father Evy. Jack was quite a charmer and he's been one of my favorite students since the first time I met him."

"Thank you," Evy said, inclining her head slightly. "I hope that I don't disappoint you."

Ms. Golding smiled. "I don't think you will." Sitting back, the principal folded her hands in her lap and surveyed the two people sitting before her. God, the memories this brought back. It was so easy to remember Jack Lansid sitting in the same chair as his daughter, looking everywhere but her, fear evident in his every movement. The first time he'd looked up and smiled shyly at her, Myra had felt her heart soften for the broken little boy in front of her.

"So," she said. "You haven't even begun your junior year yet, is that true?"

"Yes, ma'am," Evy replied. "My last foster father . . . never enrolled me."

Myra fought back a frown. There was a lot more to the story than that, but Bobby's eyes were pleading with her not to question the girl. "Well, we only have about a month and a half left of the first semester, but I think it would be fairly useless to drop you into classes at this point."

Evy nodded. "Is it possible to do independent study, either through this school or another?" she asked.

The principal nodded. "It is, but you have to pass a test to show that it's possible for you to handle teaching yourself." She cocked her head at Evy. "What exactly would you like to have happen as far as school goes?"

Evy looked surprised to be asked, but Ms. Golding was pleased to see that the girl didn't hesitate. "I'd like to do independent study and summer school if necessary so that I can enter senior year when I normally would."

Golding nodded. "That's a good plan," she said. "Are you sure you have the drive to do it though? There's a great deal of work to be done."

Evy grinned shyly and Myra was struck by how much she looked like her father. "I love school," she said quietly. "I like to learn and I always got mostly As and Bs in my classes. This is something I really want to do. I have a future ahead of me that won't be worth anything without a diploma."

Myra was impressed with the girl's thinking. Most of the Mercers she'd had before had only come to school because Evelyn forced them. Jack had barely managed to graduate, Angel had joined the Marines and Bobby had dropped out in his junior year to work. Only Jeremiah had managed to make it the whole way and do well. It was nice to know that someone else was going to try as hard as Jeremiah's kids did.

"That's very true," Ms. Golding said. "I've already had a note from Amelia saying that she'd be more than willing to help you. She's even gone so far as to give me a list of teachers who would be willing to tutor you if you needed it." She smiled at Bobby. "It's stunning how much Mercer children take after their fathers. Jeremiah was the exact same way when he was here."

Bobby nodded, smiling. "He was always a do-gooder. Got it from Mom I think."

Evy nudged her uncle with her elbow. "You got it too, you know," she said. Bobby reached over and tousled her sandy brown hair.

"Don't let that get out," he said seriously. "You'll ruin my reputation."

The three of them laughed and Myra could tell that Evy was going to be every bit as wonderful as Jack. "Well, how about I have you sit for the test now," she told Evy. "You should be able to finish by fourth period. When Amelia gets here, I'll have her take you on a tour of the school."

"I don't mean to be rude," Evy said hesitantly. "But, isn't that a waste of time? If I'm on independent study, I won't be going here."

"That's not how it works here," Ms. Golding explained. "The independent study students come here everyday and they sit in a room supervised by a proctor. That way when you finish your work, you can move right on to the next bit. The proctor isn't really there to help you, only to make sure that you're moving along at a decent pace. This also allows for our independent study students to mingle with the rest of the student body and to participate in sports." She smiled at Evy. "Your father and uncles all played hockey and I know that Amelia does as well. Do you play?"

"She's fantastic," Bobby said as Evy looked embarrassed. "You should see her and Amelia play together. It's like watching two flying blurs."

"I'll make sure that Amelia introduces you to the hockey coach then," Ms. Golding said, standing. "Evy, why don't you go out and get Gladys to set you up with the test?"

Evy nodded and held out her hand to shake the principal's. "Thank you for your time," she said politely.

"My door is always open, dear," Ms. Golding said. She smiled as the girl walked out and shut the door quietly behind her, then dropped back into the chair and gave Bobby a stern look. "Tell me."

Bobby tried to look innocent. "Tell you what, Ms. Golding?"

"Don't bullshit me, Robert Mercer," Ms. Golding snapped. She shoved a file across the desk at him. "Her foster father is recently deceased, his son is being tried for sixteen counts of rape and if that bastard had lived, he'd have twice that many. The girl wears long sleeves to hide the bruises and her eyes are just as broken as Jack's were. Tell me what's in that girl's head that she's bringing into my school."

Bobby told her everything. By the time he was finished, Ms. Golding was feeling very sick and she wished that Kevin Brown was still alive so that she could kill him all over again. "I'm not going to ask you if you had him killed," Myra said. "Because you and I both know it doesn't matter anyway. What I do want to know is if you've told Evy that he's dead."

Bobby shook his head. "Jack would've wanted her to be spared from that kind of violence," he said quietly. "All she knows is that he's not coming after her anymore. I'm sure she suspects that he's dead, but we didn't tell her."

"Alright," Myra said evenly. She leaned forward and rested her hands on her desk. "No matter what her score, I'm putting her on independent study and I don't care if I have to teach her myself, that kid's going to enter senior year with her cousin and graduate without a hitch."

Bobby inclined his head to her. "I want her to have the chance to succeed," he said. "She deserves so much better than what Jack had. He deserved better than any of the rest of us. She's got all of his broken dreams behind her so that she can go out and fulfil every dream she's ever had."

"You love her very much, don't you?" Myra said quietly. Bobby nodded, almost embarrassed to admit it. "I won't let her fail, Bobby. And I know she won't let herself fail."

Bobby looked up at her, his brown eyes every bit as pain-ridden as his niece's. "God forbid failure ever enter her mind."

- - - -

Evy had finished the test in record time. Gladys had graded it and then called everyone in the office together to tell them that a new record had been reach on the test. Evy thought Bobby was going to explode with pride.

By the time Amelia showed up at fourth period, Evy was utterly bored of reading the magazines in the office waiting room. Bobby and Principal Golding had been holed up in her office doing paperwork and calling her caseworker in California to make sure that everything was set so that Evy could stay there with her family.

"Hey, cuz!" Amelia said happily, throwing her arms around Evy as she bounced into the office.

"Hey Mel," Evy laughed, hugging her cousin back. People in the hallway were staring at them and more than one snickered at Evy's appearance.

"What's the matter?" Amelia demanded, whirling around to look at a group of girls outside the door when she saw the stony look on Evy's face. "Haven't you ever seen a black girl hug her white cousin before? Get your asses outta here before she has to throw a Goth flip out."

One of the girls flipped Amelia off, but they hurried on anyway. Amelia turned and smiled at Evy. "Goth isn't a big style here," she laughed. "You're gonna turn a few heads."

"That and the fact that she's every bit as gorgeous as Jack was," Gladys said. "Principal Golding said that you were to give Evy a tour of the school during this period. She starts independent study on Monday."

Amelia squealed happily, throwing her arms around Evy's neck as the bell rang for the next class. "I'm so happy that you're going to go here! It's going to be so great!"

"Will you two get out of my office?" Gladys snapped, a ridiculously stern look on her face. "All this screamin' and a yellin' is giving me a headache. Get on, go!"

Laughing, Evy and Amelia grabbed hall passes and left the office. Amelia slung the orange badge around her neck without a though, but Evy gave it a disgusted look and shoved it into her pocket. "I don't do color," she explained to her cousin. Amelia laughed.

They walked around, Amelia keeping up a constant stream of talk as they walked through the first floor and started up a staircase to the second. As they walked to the library, Evy clapped a hand over Amelia's chattering mouth.

"Mel, I love you, but if you don't find a bathroom, I'll pee all over your leg," she said seriously.

Amelia laughed, the sound echoing in the empty hallway. "Would only be fair," she said quietly as a teacher opened the nearest door and glared out at them. "The first time Uncle Jack held me, I peed all down his stomach."

"Boy, that's just fascinating," an acid voice said from behind them. The two girls whipped around, Evy taking a step back as they saw the group of girls standing there. They were all tall and heavy and wearing the same expression, one that Evy knew all to well. It was the look that a predator gave its prey when he knows there's no escape. Evy fought back panic by summoning up anger at the girls for interrupting them.

"You're a pretty one," the girl in the front said, looking Evy up and down, grinning evilly as she stiffened. "Gee Mercer, finally brought somebody cute into our lives."

"You know these . . . people," Evy said coolly to Amelia.

The girl advanced on them, getting so close that Evy could smell the musky perfume she was wearing. Evy refused to step back, even when the girl was close enough to smell her breath.

"Leave her alone, Karen," Amelia spat.

"Shut up, nig," Karen said smoothly. She sniffed the air between her and Evy. "Mmm," she breathed. "I smell . . . slut."

Evy's muscles knotted and her fists clenched. "I smell shit, so what?" she snapped.

Karen slapped her. "Don't talk to me like that, slut. I might get angry." She looked down, another familiar look lighting her face. Lust. "Girls, I think we should get to know this one," Karen called over her should. "I can think of all sorts of things I'd like to do to this one. You gotta name?"

Evy rubbed her cheek slightly. "Evy Mercer," she said flatly.

Karen laughed, here friends laughing along with her. "Another Mercer, shit yeah. We'll be seeing your ass real soon."

"For your sake, you better hope you don't," Evy replied sweetly. She grabbed Amelia's arm and turned her back to Karen and the others, but she knew what was coming.

"Don't turn your fucking back on me!" Karen shouted. Evy turned around and kicked out just as the girl threw herself forward. Karen flew back and smashed against the lockers with a loud bang. Before Karen or any of her friends could make a move, Evy strode over and pulled a switchblade out of her pocket.

Kneeling down, she pressed the blade to Karen fleshy neck. "Touch me, come near, or fucking _breathe_ in my direction again and I'll slit your motherfucking throat," Evy said smoothly.

One of the classroom doors flew open and Evy slipped the blade up her sleeve before anyone could see.

"She tried to kill me, Mr. Olken!" Karen screamed, pointing a shaking hand at Evy. "She had a knife to my throat!"

The man whirled around to look at Evy and gasped. "Jack . . . ," he breathed quietly. Shaking his head sharply, he glared at her. "What the hell's going on here?" he demanded.

"I'm Evy Mercer," she said, stepping forward. "Amelia was showing me around when these girls jumped us."

"A Mercer, huh?" Olken said. He snickered. "You have to be Jack's kid." Evy nodded curtly. "So, did you threaten her with a knife?"

Evy's face assumed such an innocence that both Olken and Amelia had to choke back laughter. "Mr. Olken, bringing a weapon to school would be breaking a rule. I would never do that."

_Oh, she's good,_ Olken thought, fighting against the smile that twitched his lips. _She's better than Bobby._ "Well Karen, I think I'm more inclined to believe what Miss Mercer told me," he said to the girl on the floor. "Everyone knows that you and your crew like to start fights. If I was you, I'd find somewhere else to be, class for instance, before Amelia and Evy decide that they want to press charges."

Karen shot a furious look at them. "I'll see your ass real soon," Karen spat.

"I'm sure you're really looking forward to it," Evy replied blithely.

As the girls lumbered away, Mr. Olken turned to Amelia and Evy. He looked them over, sizing them up, and sighed. "I used to run with your fathers when we were kids," he said finally. "All I can say is that school is going to be a lot more interesting with two Mercer kids attending at the same time. Keep on with your tour, Amelia, and tell Jerry I said hi. Pleasure to meet you, Evy. See you both around."

"Bye Mr. Olken," Amelia said merrily.

"Oh," he said, pausing as he pulled his door shut. "I'm sorry about your dad Evy. He was a good man."

Evy smiled. "Thanks."

"And a damn troublemaker. You would've made him proud just now," Olken added. Evy beamed at him. "Get the fuck outta here you two," he said irritably, slamming his classroom door.

Leaning back against it, he took several deep breaths and listened as the two girls continued down the hall. God forbid that Evy ever find out that he, Mick Olken, had been Jack's first boyfriend.

A kid. A fucking _kid_. He knew that Jack was bi, but somehow it seemed wrong to know that he had gotten someone pregnant. Though, there could be no doubt about it. Evy looked so much like Jack that it was almost scary.

_One thing's for sure,_ he thought bitterly as he sat behind his desk and pulled a stack of homework papers toward him. _School won't ever be dull, or safe, again.

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**Yay, intrigue! Yes, so I have to say that I believe Jack was at least partially gay. I think Olken had a pretty obvious reaction to it. That's how I'd feel if I found out one of my old girlfriends was married and had kids.**

**Anyhoo, please revoo. (Hehe, rhyme) I'll give you thirty camels, a bolt of silk, and six wineskins in return for a review. Tis a decent dowry for a lord's daughter and god knows we've got hundreds of those running around.**

**And yes, I'm just a little _that_ side of insane in case you were wondering. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, more coming soon.**


	10. Forgive and Don't Forget

**And this chapter is especially for my sister so that she won't feel the need to flip out and interrupt me eating Taco Bell to tell me how I have to finish this story.**

**And review bitch, or I'll dump your ass in the pool!**

**Warning: Semi-graphic m/m pairing.**

**So yes, on with the story. Tension and intrigue are yet to come, woohoo!**

**Disclaimer: do I really have to put one of these in every chapter? Fine, I don't own _Four Brothers_, but I do own a green pencil that blows bubbles. _Teehee_.**

**Enjoy!

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"And Amelia introduced me to the hockey coach," Evy said. "At first he was just going to blow us off, used that 'I've already got a full roster and the season's nearly over, I'm sure you're real good, but-' and Amelia kept pushing until he finally agreed to watch. I'm first string, center forward. I can't wait for Monday. School's gonna be so awesome here."

Bobby smiled. Evy had been chattering enthusiastically since they'd left the school. She was behaving like a normal kid now, not someone who'd been through hell and back. His smiled widened as he thought about the fact that the only bruises she'd have from now on would come from hockey and not a parent's hand.

"I should probably tell you that there was . . . a little trouble," Evy said delicately, jerking Bobby from his happy reverie. Leaning forward over his empty plate, Bobby glared across the table at his niece.

"What sort of trouble?" he asked.

Evy played with her food. "Just a little trouble," she muttered. "Nothing I can't handle."

Angel burst out laughing, causing everyone at the table to look sharply at him. "Damn, she's a Mercer alright," he crowed. "Not even in class yet and already startin' shit."

Bobby glared at his brother. "Speak," he snapped at Evy.

"These girls tried to start something with Amelia and me when we were walking around," Evy said with a shrug. "The leader tried to jump me and I kicked her back against the lockers and told her to leave us alone."

"And the rest?" Bobby prompted.

"What makes you think there was more than that?" Evy asked, her eyes widening innocently. Bobby glared at her and Evy rolled her eyes. "Alright, I got a little more graphic with her than that."

Sofi stood up. "Homework Jake," she said as she started to gather up the dishes.

"Aw, Mo-om," Jake whined.

"Now," Sofi said sternly.

"You guys always make me leave right when things are getting interesting." He moped out of the room, stomping hard up the stairs and slamming his bedroom door.

"Let's hear the worst," Angel said resignedly.

Evy gave a sheepish smile. "I held a knife to her throat and threatened to kill her if she ever came near me again."

Bobby's eyes almost jumped out of his skull and Angel let out a low whistle. "Are you out of your fucking mind?" Bobby snapped.

"Hey," Evy flared. "I know what kind of girls they were, I got to know plenty of them in juvy and I'll be damned if I'll let someone make me their bitch after I finally got away from Kevin."

She glared angrily at her uncles, her chest heaving and her knuckles white as she clenched her fists. "Besides," she said, forcing her voice to become controlled again. "The teacher that came out basically told them that they could tell whoever they wanted and no one would believe them. He didn't even bother to search me for a knife. Nice guy. Oakley, Oaken, something like that."

Bobby's head snapped up. "Olken?"

"Yeah," Evy said, smiling at him. "Olken, that was his name. Said he used to know you guys when you were kids."

"Did he now," Bobby said between clenched teeth.

Evy bit her lip and mumbled something about a shower before hurrying out of the room. She didn't know what she'd done, but Bobby had looked _pissed._

- - - -

Pissed wasn't the word. Furious didn't even cover it. Rage might come close, but fell just a little shy of his true feelings.

_How dare he?_ Bobby fumed, smoking his fourth cigarette in the last ten minutes. How fucking dare that man come near Jack's daughter? How dare he talk to her? How dare he even look at her?

"Damnit," Bobby swore, punching a tree as hard as he could and dislodging several clumps of snow.

"You need to relax." Bobby whirled around at the sound of Angel's voice.

"Go back to bed," Bobby snarled at his brother.

Angel shook his head wearily. "It was a long time ago, Bobby," he said. "They were sixteen, _sixteen_ Bobby. That was nearly twenty years ago."

"It doesn't make it right," Bobby snapped.

Angel sat on the picnic table. "You thought it was wrong because you loved Jack and you knew what he'd been through. At that time you couldn't see the difference between a man raping Jack and Jack being intimate with a man. You didn't really think it was wrong as he got older. You were uncomfortable with it, but Jack was your brother and you cared too much about him to let sex drive him away."

Bobby rubbed a hand over his face. "I couldn't deal with it," he mumbled. "And now it still bothers me. We knew that Jackie was a little flamer, but Mick was a total surprise. The guy had slept at our house, in the same tent at hockey camp, he changed in the same locker rooms. It just seemed different to me."

Angel nodded. "It was hard for us all," he said quietly. "But you have to understand that getting close to Mick was the way that Jack dealt with what had happened to him. He wanted to prove to himself that it wasn't always wrong, always dirty. I mean, shit Bobby, obviously he wasn't totally gay. His kid is sleeping in the house for fuck's sake."

Bobby closed his eyes tightly, remembering the night that he'd found Mick and Jack together.

_He'd come home from practice to a dark house. Evelyn was out with some friends. His brothers all had dates. He'd gotten a beer and was going to watch some TV when he'd heard noises coming from upstairs. He'd walked quietly, wondering what he was going to find. The noises were coming from Jack's room, soft moans Bobby could tell now. Jackie and his date were obviously having some fun. As the moaning got louder, Bobby decided to tell them to quiet down. He opened the door and wished for the rest of his life that he hadn't._

_Jack had been on his back, Mick between his legs. Jack's black fingernails were digging into the other guy's back and throaty moans filled the room. Suddenly Jack opened his eyes. "Bobby," he whispered, fear filling his eyes as he saw his older brother standing there._

_Mick had rolled off Jack, grabbing for his clothes. When he turned to look at Bobby, the older boy punched Mick hard in the face. "You sick fucking perv," Bobby had snarled. "You disgusting fucking pervert!" He had grabbed Mick and started beating the shit out of him, ignoring Jack's panicked screams._

_Finally Jack shoved himself between Mick and Bobby's fist. "Stop it Bobby, stop it!" he'd screamed. "You'll kill him! Stop!"_

_Bobby had tried to push Jack away, but the smaller boy had reached back and grabbed onto Mick's clothes, gripping them so tightly that his fingers turned white. Bobby had glared at his brother for a few seconds before letting Mick go and stepping back as the boy fell to the ground._

_"Get that fucker out of this house," he had said before walking downstairs and out to the backyard so that he didn't have to hear Jack's soothing voice talking to Mick. After Mick had left, Jack had come outside and raged at Bobby, screaming at his brother until his voice was hoarse._

_"This was my choice Bobby," he'd shouted, pounding his fists on Bobby's chest. "He wasn't raping me, this wasn't wrong! It was what I wanted and I won't let you turn it into something bad!"_

_That night after everyone got home and went to bed, Bobby had gone to Jack's room and watched his brother sleep. He'd pushed sandy hair off Jack's forehead, wishing that there was some way that Jack would forgive him._

_"Jack . . . " he'd whispered. That one word had been all the apology Bobby could manage. Everything he was feeling had been put into that word. Jack had rolled over and reached out, his fingers brushing Bobby's on the thick blanket. "S'okay," Jack had whispered._

Angel watched Bobby's face sadly, knowing what he was reliving. Jack had explained to them all that night when they'd gotten home and had made them swear that they wouldn't say anything to Bobby. _"It has to be between us,"_ Jack had insisted. _"He has to understand me and what I wanted. You guys can't interfere this time."_

"He forgave you, Bobby," Angel said quietly. "He always forgave you."

"See, but that's the problem," Bobby said, his voice breaking with sadness. "I don't think I ever really forgave myself."

- - - -

Evy closed the backdoor quietly and dropped into one of the chairs around the kitchen table. So Olken had been Jack's lover, his first one from the sounds of it. "My God," Evy muttered, burying her face in her hands. "Am I going to meet anyone in this fucking town who doesn't have some kind of baggage with my father?"

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**So, whatcha think? Good, bad, depressing and cheesy?**

**I don't care, just review and tell me!**

**New chapter coming soon!**


	11. Demons

**All praise to me, for tis a new chapter which I give to you today . . . just like yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that.**

**Please review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Four Brothers_, but I own Evy and if you rip off my characters, I'll rip off your plots, MWWAUHAHA!!!!**

**Enjoy!

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**

"Evy! Evy, over here!"

Evy looked round and saw Amelia waving to her from the other side of the cafeteria. She grinned and waved back. She grabbed a bag of chips and reached for the last ham sandwich on the tray, but someone else reached over and grabbed it. Without thinking, Evy snatched the muscular arm and glared up at the guy who'd cut in front of her. "That was mine," she said smoothly.

The guy grinned. "Was it now?" He turned the sandwich around in his hand. "Don't see a name on it, but if you want to give me yours I can check again."

Evy snickered. "Is that the best line you could think up?" she asked him.

He grinned again. "I've never had the occasion to pick up a Gothic girl, forgive my inferior technique."

She smiled at him. "I'm Evy."

"Evy, that's a nice name. I'm Chris. So, you wanna get a table or something?" he asked.

Evy snatched the sandwich out of his hands. "Nope, but thanks for asking." She sidestepped Chris, trying not to laugh at the taken aback look on his face. She handed the lunch lady her money and turned around to find Chris standing right in front of her.

"You aren't very friendly," he said, his deep voice slightly wounded.

"Aw," she said sympathetically, reaching up and patting his cheek lightly. "You'll get used to it, jock"

"Hey, how can you tell I'm a jock?" he called after her.

"Radar," she called back with a smile. "See you around."

"I'm looking forward to it!" he replied.

Grinning to herself, Evy dropped into a chair next to Amelia. "Chris Hagen, nice choice," Amelia said with a sly smile.

Evy laughed. "Who is that guy?"

"Only the hottest guy in school," one of the other girls at the table said, her face wistful as she looked over at him. Evy followed the girl's eyes and gave a Chris a good once over. About 6'2", dark curly brown hair a little on the longish side, broad shoulders, muscles that rippled along his arms and back. Not bad at all. And blue eyes, she could remember. Deep blue eyes.

"I guess he's not bad," Evy said evenly.

The other girls stared at her in shock, but Amelia laughed. "Bullshit, cuz, you're hot after him."

Evy just grinned. "Have you got any manners at all?" she asked Amelia. "Do I have to introduce myself?"

Amelia stood and bowed mockingly to Evy. "But of course, m'lady," she said pompously. "Allow me to introduce Her Grace, the Lady Evy Mercer, mine dear cousin, daughter of Jack Mercer."

The others giggled. "That's Lacy," Amelia said, pointing at the girl to Evy's left, a pretty brunette with freckles all over her face. "And Yvonne is the one in love with Chris." Evy smiled at the girl who had spoken earlier. "Jessica, Bernice, and Traci." Two pale blondes sitting on either side of a very black girl waved and gave shy grins. Bernice gave a quick grin and looked away. "Forgive them," Amelia said. "They're those quiet intelligent types. I haven't shocked them out of their shells yet."

"It's nice to meet you all," Evy said.

"Nice to meet you too," Lacy said. "Amelia tells us you're from California, where at?"

Evy shrugged as she opened her chips. "All over really. I was born in LA and I lived there until my mom died. After that it was San Francisco with my grandmother. And after that I start to lose track. Fresno was where I lived last."

"Wow," Jessica said quietly. "Why do you lose track after San Francisco?"

Evy forced a smile. "I moved around a lot," she said flatly. "So, any of you on the hockey team?"

"All of us actually," Yvonne said. She smiled at the mild shock on Evy's face. "Girls sports aren't a huge deal here," she explained with a shrug. "We all have fun doing it and we're good, so the coach doesn't feel the need to really bulk up on the team."

"Not that he could even if he wanted to," Bernice snickered. "Hardly any of the girls play hockey. They all want to do basketball. There's only four others who play, but they're all second string cause they don't play as hard as we do."

Evy mimed barfing in her chip bag. "Basketball isn't near as much fun as hockey," she said. "Soccer is about the only other sport I get into."

"You play soccer?" Traci said, grinning widely. "So do I! You'll have to join the team."

Evy smiled, feeling more and more at ease around these girls. Suddenly, Chris dropped into an empty chair across from Evy. Traci and Yvonne stared at him like he was a mutant, but he didn't notice.

"So I've been thinking," he said. "I think you should go on a date with me."

"Are you some kind of masochist?" Evy asked.

Chris appeared to consider that. "Maybe," he said. "But frankly baby I'd be anything you wanted if you'd give me just one date."

Evy forced herself to keep a smile plastered on her face, but she felt like she was about to explode. She would have to be alone with him, it might be dark, he might hurt her, he might take her to a party and there might be drugs. Liquid panic was making a whine in her brain. "I'm not dating right now," she said, keeping most of the tremor out of her voice. Amelia heard it and glanced at her cousin, but didn't comment. "Maybe in a few weeks."

She looked down at her food, but her stomach rebelled against the thought. "I'll see you guys later," she said quickly, shoving her stuff onto the tray. Grabbing the tray, she shot a smile around the table and hurried toward the exit doors. When she got to the trash cans, she missed and her chips scattered across the table next to them where she was supposed to leave the tray.

"Fuck," she muttered, feeling dangerously close to tears. She tried to sweep the chips into the trash, but her shaking hands just smashed them into more pieces.

"Let me help you." Chris's voice was quiet right in Evy's ear. She jumped and turned to look at him. His eyes were soft and kind and she had to bite her lip to stop the tears that were threatening to fall. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Evy stared blankly at the floor until Chris took her arm and gently led her outside. It was snowing softly and most kids were inside, so there was only serene silence around them.

"I'm sorry," Chris said quietly. "I didn't mean to push you too hard." Evy shook her head. "It wasn't your fault," she whispered.

Chris stood there quietly. "I should have been able to tell that I needed to back off," he said finally. "I- my sister was raped a few months ago. You'd think I'd be able to tell when that's happened to someone."

Evy looked up at him, shocked. "How could you tell?" she breathed.

Chris smiled bitterly. "You got this look in your eyes like you were suffocating. You were probably flipping out imagining being alone with me or maybe even more worried that I might take you to a party and do something worse."

Evy felt like she might blow up as she listened to him tell her what was in her own head. She needed to get away; she needed to find someplace peaceful and quiet where she wouldn't have to hear his fucking understanding. "I need to go," she said quickly. "Thanks for getting me out of there."

Before he could say anything, Evy dashed across the courtyard, her Chucks sliding on the snow, her safety pin decorated messenger slapping against her thighs. She ran into a bathroom and dove into a stall, slamming the door just as the tears overflowed. She dug frantically in her bag, almost missing the secret pocket she'd cut into the side. Pulling out a razorblade, Evy pulled her sleeve up and ripped off the black armband she was wearing. Relief flooded through her as she dug the blade into her skin.

The bathroom door slammed open and Evy pulled her knees up onto the toilet seat, making sure that her bag wasn't visible. Pain ripped through her arm suddenly, making her cry out and fall to the floor.

"Evy?" Amelia's voice called, filled with panic.

Evy gasped, blinking back tears, she stared at her wrist. The razor was embedded in halfway up her forearm, blood spurting out of the deep cut in a steady stream. Amelia kicked the stall door and swore as she looked at the blood.

"You idiot, you fucking idiot," Amelia said, ripping the blade out of her cousin's arm and splattering the wall with bright drops of blood. She grabbed the tight armband that Evy had been wearing and shoved it around the wound, cutting off the circulation. She clamped her hand tight around the armband and dragged Evy to her feet. She hugged Evy tightly as the girl stared in shock at her own blood on the walls.

The bell rang to end lunch, shortly followed by the start of sixth period, but Amelia didn't speak or move. After about 45 minutes, Amelia pushed Evy down onto the toilet seat and lifted the armband off so that she could see the cut.

"The bleeding stopped," she said quietly.

Evy nodded, shame making it impossible for her to look Amelia in the face. "You were raped by your foster father, weren't you?" Amelia asked quietly.

"Jesus," Evy rasped. "Does everyone know I was raped?"

Amelia just hugged her. "It was just a guess," she said. "The way that you liked Chris so much, but seemed so against being alone with him. Don't worry, no one else noticed."

"Thank God for small mercies I guess," Evy mumbled, grasping Amelia's sweater with weak fingers.

"C'mon, let's get you home," Amelia said quietly. "Uncle Bobby will call and excuse us."

Evy shook her head violently, gulping. "Bobby'll kill me," she said, her eyes wide with fear. "They don't want me to cut, they'll be so pissed and they'll yell at me like they did the other night and it'll just make everything worse, just worse!"

Amelia crushed Evy to her chest as mania twisted her cousin's mind. "It's okay, baby," Amelia whispered. "They won't yell at you, it'll be okay. I promise it'll be okay."

- - - -

Bobby shut Evy's bedroom door quietly and came down to the living room. He sat in an armchair across from Amelia. "Speak," he said.

Amelia shrugged helplessly. "This guy was totally flirting with her and she loved it," she assured Bobby. "But she started to panic when he asked her out. I don't think she's ready to consider being alone with guys other than her family."

"How did she get cut so deep?" Bobby asked.

"I think I startled her," Amelia answered softly. "I saw her run into the bathroom and I followed her. I think she was trying to hide and forgot that she was holding the razor."

Bobby nodded, running a hand through his hair. "I'll call the school and excuse you guys." He got up and walked toward the kitchen.

"Uncle Bobby?"

He turned to look at his niece.

"Did you kill the bastard that did this to her?"

He nodded curtly. "She doesn't know."

Amelia understood. "I won't tell her, but I had to know that you and Dad and Uncle Angel took care of it."

Bobby frowned. "Why?"

"Because if you hadn't, I would have. It's one thing to beat a kid and walk away," she continued. "But what he did to her is going to haunt her forever." Amelia looked out the window, watching the snow drift passed the windows.

As he walked into the dining room, Bobby heard her whisper, "No one this young should have so many demons."

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**I love Amelia. She's so cool.**

**Anyway, please review. Next chapter should be up in the next few days.**


	12. Forward to Stop

**Okay, this chapter speeds up the story a great deal because there's really no more build up left. If I did more than this, you'd stop reading because this would be the most boring fanfic in history.**

**Anyway, enjoy while you can, for the tale is almost complete. Than whatcha gonna read? _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows_ doesn't come out til July; God only knows when the next Eragon book is going to come out. Your lives will be terribly empty without my lovely story.**

**Yeah, and then I woke up, lol.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Four Brothers_. _Duh_. If you haven't figured that out yet then congratulations, your brain is the size of a peanut.

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The next few months passed happily for Evy. School, hockey, friends, and family filled up a void in her life that Evy hadn't even noticed before. Somehow she missed her dad less now. All the energy that had focused on him, on holding on to every memory she could, was being redirected now. She had a life and she loved it.

After two months of careful manoeuvring, Chris had finally convinced Evy to go out with him. To make sure that she was comfortable, he'd gotten Amelia and her boyfriend Jason to double with them. Their first few dates were doubled and Evy fell for Chris in all his sweetness.

She realized suddenly just how smart she really was. When the school year ended, she was totally caught up and didn't have to do summer school. Amelia had helped her, as well as many of the teachers. Everyone marvelled at the quiet, polite Goth who managed to cause all sorts of trouble and never get caught. Evy had charmed everyone she met. It felt good to know that no one was looking at her and deciding she was a lost-cause just because of how she dressed and behaved.

Bobby was so happy with Evy around that he sometime disgusted himself. He watched happily as she gained weight and her body filled out to form a healthy, athletic girl in the place of the half-dead rat who had appeared on their doorstep in the middle of winter.

Hockey was a family event more than ever now. Amelia and Evy both helped coach Jake's team and it was nothing for the Mercer family to take up a whole section of bleachers at the games. Watching Evy and Amelia play brought a sad twinge to the brothers' hearts. They could remember far too many games where they had played together, where Jack had been their chief scorer because he was so much smaller and faster than the others. Even after hockey season was over and there were only practices to watch, the memories still surfaced at the sound of blades on ice.

_My God Jackie, you'd be so proud of her. I wish you could be here,_ Bobby thought almost every day. He sometimes thought that he was losing his mind at games. Sometimes he could swear that he'd seen Jack sitting with them, that his baby brother's voice cheered and jeered along with the rest of them. He didn't realize it, but he wasn't the only one who felt Jack's presence.

Angel kept catching glimpses of Jack every time the family sat down for dinner or to watch a game. He'd here his brother laugh when someone told a joke. Once he could even swear that he heard Jack's voice when they were bawling out Amelia and Evy for coming home at three in the morning smelling like beer and cigarettes. It was hard for him to handle these powerful feelings of Jack. He had never really been the sentimental type, but this sort of thing scared the hell out of him and made him feel like crying until he couldn't breathe.

Evy felt it more than any of the others. Every night she woke up at the sound of Jack's voice, sometimes singing. A few times she even woke up and could have sworn that she heard him playing his guitar. It was hell for her and it never failed that she'd cry herself back to sleep. Possibly the hardest part was the feeling of someone sitting on her bed, his hand rubbing her back gently as she sobbed into her pillow. When Jack had just been 13-year-old memories, it had been hard, but nice to remember. Now that he was a constant presence, a shadow that seemed to follow her through classes and practice and meals, Evy felt like her heart would break with longing.

"It's just not fair," Evy had sobbed helplessly to Amelia on night. She'd called her cousin after waking up in the dead of night to the sound of her father singing a song he'd written for her. "I want him back, I miss him so much, but having his ghost like this is harder than not having him at all."

But nothing plagued Evy as much as the fact that she felt constantly ill. Sometimes she'd have to stop practice because she couldn't breathe correctly. She felt nauseous a lot, but she tried to hide it. Bobby and the others noticed that she was tired a lot, but she encouraged their belief that it was just the stress of everything she was doing.

Deep down, Evy knew there was something very wrong. She even had an idea of what it could be, but she didn't want to go to doctors and have them poke around and tell her that something was really wrong. After years of hell, she finally had a life that she didn't want to fuck up. She'd be damned if illness would bring her down.

Looking back, Evy really wished that she'd said something.

- - - -

Evy sighed and tossed her magazine on the floor. She was spending the night with Amelia, but it was so hot outside that they didn't even feel like going for a walk like they normally did. With barely two weeks before school started, Evy and Amelia were running dry on ideas to keep them occupied. Evy rubbed her eyes, cursing at the fatigue and the aches that made her feel so weak and the heat that made it worse.

"You okay, Evy?" Amelia asked, looking up at where her cousin lay on the bed. "You look really pale."

Evy shrugged. "Just a little tired and achy. Think I'm coming down with something."

"That sucks," Amelia said. She grinned wickedly. "I guess that means you're feeling really weak, huh?" she said innocently.

Evy glared at her cousin, her head hanging off the bed so that the whole room was upside down. "Weak is in the eye of the beholder," she growled.

"Really? I thought it was in the muscles."

With a wild squeal, Amelia dove onto the bed, tackling her cousin. Evy gasped and hefted Amelia up and onto the floor with a loud thud. They rolled around, wrestling like they did so many times. This time was different somehow though.

Evy couldn't breathe right and her vision was suddenly blurry. She tried to push Amelia away, but her arms were too tired. Pain seared through her ears as if someone was driving nails into them.

Amelia was shaking her, calling her name, but Evy couldn't focus. "Why do my ears hurt?" she mumbled.

The last thing she heard before she blacked out was Amelia screaming, "Daddy!"

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**Oooooo, cliff-hanger.**

**New chapter soon!**

**Please review. I'll give you a video of Garrett Hedlund and Marky Mark doing the nasty.**


	13. Unknown and Alone

**:::Evil cackle::: Who liked that cliff-hanger?**

**Congrats to me for figuring out where I got that bit that Evy said at the end of the last chapter. Been trying to figure it out since I wrote the fucking thing and it came to me when my sister and I were swimming tonight. Alas, but I cannot tell you from whence it came because if you've seen the movie, it would give away my big reveal.**

**Anyway, thanks for all the reviews, hope you guys don't get bored with the last few chapters.**

**!!!!!WARNING!!!!!: DO NOT listen to sad music while you're reading this chapter unless you're like me and you go the extra mile when you know you're going to be sad.**

**Disclaimer: Paramount Pictures, get a freakin' life. You know that you own this, we know that you own it, do we really have to put these stupid things on here?**

**Enjoy!

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Bobby paced up and down the waiting room gritting his teeth in frustration. They'd been here for six hours. What the fuck was taking them so long? How hard could it really be to figure out what was wrong?

"Bobby will you sit the fuck down?" Jerry snapped. "You're making me seasick."

"Then don't fucking look," Bobby snarled. After a minute, he ran his hand over his face, trying to wipe away the frightened fatigue that filled him. "Sorry, brother," he muttered.

"S'okay," Jerry replied. "All the rest of us are worried too." He looked over at Amelia who was sitting in a chair across the room, her head resting on her knees as she stared blankly out the window.

He wished that there was something he could do or say to make his daughter feel better, but he knew it was useless. After what he'd seen when he'd come running into the room at the sound of Amelia's panicked voice, he wasn't sure that _he_ would ever get over it.

Evy had been lying on the floor, pale as death. Blood was seeping out of her ears and a thin line of it ran down the side of her face. The girl's body had been twitching slightly, but Jerry had thought she was dead. Amelia had stopped screaming his name by then and had just been shrieking at the top of her lungs, horror turning her eyes crazy.

A doctor had been getting ready to leave when they'd showed up, but he took one look at Evy and grabbed her from Jerry's arms, shouting for nurses to bring a gurney and IV. The man had paused long enough to tell them where the nearest waiting room was before running after the gurney that carried Evy quickly down the hall and out of sight.

Jerry and Amelia had sat in the waiting room for twenty minutes before Bobby and Angel dashed through the front doors and started demanding answers. Bobby had almost killed the nurse who told him that she wasn't going to tell him a damn thing so long as he kept yelling in her lobby. When he'd calmed down, she told him that there was no news to give and sent him and Angel to wait with Jerry.

"The sun's coming up," Amelia said suddenly. Her voice was quiet, but it seemed horribly loud in the ringing silence that had filled the room. "The sun's coming up and we don't even know if Evy's alive to see it." Her eyes filled with tears and Jerry felt some of his tension ease. As long as Amelia was crying, she would be okay. Small hope that it was, Jerry clung to it.

"She'll be okay, Amelia," Angel said quietly. _She has to be okay,_ he thought desperately.

Bobby watched his niece cry and wished that he could follow her example. "I'll be back in a bit," he told his brothers as he walked out of the waiting room.

The nurse at the front desk frowned as he came closer, no doubt wondering if he was going to start yelling at her again. "Can you tell me where the chapel is?" he asked quietly, startled to hear how tired his own voice was.

The woman's face softened. "Next floor. Take a left when you get out of the elevator." She gave him a sympathetic smile. "I wish I could give you good news."

Bobby nodded. "I wish there was good news to tell," he said quietly.

The chapel was plain with a few hard wooden pews and one stained glass window. Bobby felt instantly at peace as he walked up to the front pew and sat down.

Part of him felt like a liar as he sat there, wishing that God would help. Jack and Jerry had gone to church with Evelyn every Sunday and Angel had gone a lot as well. He had never had time for God. In Bobby's mind, there was nothing God could, or would, do to help him. Obviously God hadn't been watching his life before he'd become a Mercer; there was no reason to think He'd care afterwards.

_Oh Jack,_ Bobby thought. _I wish you were here._ Bobby felt tears fill his eyes and he let them fall. _She can't die like this, Jackie,_ Bobby continued, feeling suddenly as if his brother was right there next to him in the dim chapel. _She can't just die so quietly without any kind of warning. As horrible as your death was, at least it wasn't quiet and unnoticed._ Pain gripped his heart as he remembered Jack's final moments. He could feel his brother's body again, feel it quivering as Jack tried to breathe through thick blood, tried to live for the sake of everyone who loved him.

_I'm so sorry, Jackie,_ Bobby said, his eyes looking to the wooden cross in the corner, pleading silently with the darkness to give Evy a miracle. _I'm so sorry I couldn't save you. I'm so sorry that I didn't protect you. And now I can't protect her, I can't save her just like I couldn't save you. Oh God Jack, why can't I help?_

Bobby dropped to his knees, resting his elbows on the railing in front of him. His sobs echoed quietly in the room. Jack had screamed for help, even though he was dying, he'd gotten people to look, to know that a life was about to be lost. Evy might not have that chance, she might just pass away with no one but Amelia there to be the last thing she saw. "Please God," Bobby sobbed. "Please Jackie, don't take her away. Please don't take her away."

Bobby started to talk as Jack's presence filled the air around him. He explained about everything he'd ever done, apologized for every time he'd hurt his baby brother. He told Jack about what he would have done if they'd known about Evy. Bobby felt like he was pouring out his heart and every scrap of pain he'd saved up. Somehow it seemed like someone was listening for once. His head told him that he was alone, but his heart told him that his little brother was with him, comforting him as he finally broke down.

"She's so beautiful, Jack," Bobby told him. "She's so alive even though she has such a heavy past. She's the best of us all. You would be so proud of her." Tears fell anew as Evy's face swam in his mind. Like rolls of film, memories of her ran through his head. Her playing hockey, laughing with Amelia when she missed the puck completely and landed on her ass on the ice; reading by the fireplace, the flames lighting her hair and making it seem like she had a halo; the pleading look in her eyes when she woke him up in the middle of the night holding a razor out and showing him that all her cuts were healed; dancing on the roof at midnight, saying that she was dancing with Jack. She was so alive, so _real_. "How could she be sick?" Bobby asked miserably. "How could we not know?"

He felt like someone had put their warm hands on his and someone seemed to whisper in the shadows. _It's okay, Bobby. It'll all be okay._

His phone rang, startlingly loud in the silence, shattering the connection he'd just felt. "Yeah?" he said as he answered it.

"The doctor's here, get back to the waiting room," Angel said shortly.

- - - -

"No," Bobby said again. He wondered blankly how many times he'd said that in the last fifteen minutes.

The doctor nodded sadly. "I'm so sorry," he said sincerely. "But there's no mistake."

Amelia was sobbing into her hands, shaking so bad that she was in danger of falling out of her chair. Angel looked like he wanted to run to his Mommy and have her hug away the nightmares. Jerry hadn't even been able to move.

"AIDS?" Jerry managed to say. "Real AIDS? Not just HIV?"

The doctor shook his head. "AIDS. So far along that we'll be powerless to even slow it down."

"How?" Angel asked, his voice cracking. "People can have HIV for nine or ten years before it becomes AIDS. Dr. Alexander, she hasn't been having sex for ten years."

Dr. Alexander sighed sadly. "Many things can speed up HIV," he explained. "Repeated exposure to the virus, illnesses that go untreated. Even getting beat up so that your body weakens can speed it up."

"There were no signs!" Jerry cried. "No sores, no sickness! My God, she was in this hospital a few months ago and no one said a damn thing!"

"There were sores," Dr. Alexander told them. "Some on her legs, others on her back and ribs. Even one on the back of her neck. She went through a great deal of trouble if you didn't see them."

Bobby dropped into a chair and buried his face in his hands. She hadn't told them, hadn't said a fucking word. How long had she known she was sick? How long had she been lying to them?

"How long does she have?" Amelia asked quietly, her voice breathless from her sobs.

The doctor shrugged. "It's difficult to say," he answered carefully. "Anywhere from weeks to months. I don't think she'll survive another year."

Amelia started to cry again and she hurried out of the waiting room. Jerry didn't even notice her leave. He was too lost in his own mind, his own guilt. How long had they been telling Evy that she needed to slow down? She'd been weak and tired for the last few months and she'd been coming down with colds all through the summer. _How couldn't we know something was really wrong?_ he thought, guilt squeezing his heart.

"What are we supposed to do?" Bobby said, his voice muffled through his hands. Angel and Jerry knew that he wasn't asking the doctor about treatment, they knew that he wasn't even talking to the people around him. Whether he was asking God or Jack or Evelyn was a mystery, but his voice was so heart-broken and unguarded that Jerry wondered if Bobby even knew where he was anymore.

"We can keep her comfortable," Dr. Alexander said softly. "But there's not much else to be done. If we had caught it even a few months ago . . . but we're helpless against it now."

Bobby let out a racking sob, his shoulders shaking so hard that he felt his bones might shatter. This couldn't be happening, it just couldn't be happening. After everything she'd gone through, all the torture and beatings, it shouldn't be her own body, her own _blood,_ that brought her down.

"I wish I could give you more hope," Dr. Alexander whispered. The brothers looked up at the pain in his voice. "I lost my son to AIDS last year," the man said quietly. "I've never felt so powerless. It was so hard not to let him see how much I was hurting." He looked up, meeting each of their eyes in turn. "Don't let her know how hopeless the situation is. She's a smart girl, she knows. But it'll just be harder for her to keep it together if she knows that you don't have any hope."

"Should we have any hope?" Angel demanded bitterly. "What the fuck kind of hope are we supposed to have when our niece is in there dying and there's not a damn thing we can do about it? How can we have hope when she'll never live again? How can we smile when she'll never run, never play hockey, never get married-" His voice broke and tears poured over his dark cheeks.

Dr. Alexander watched him sympathetically. "If nothing else," he said gently. "Just think about the fact that she'll finally be with Jack when she dies."

The doctor left the brothers in the waiting room, all of them crying. They could fix Evy's other problems. They'd killed the man who raped her and let others do the same. They'd held her when she woke up with nightmares, comforting her until she fell back asleep. They'd helped her build up her strength for hockey. They'd helped her with everything, but now they were powerless, staring hopelessly at a disease that would never go away.

_Why is this happening?_ they all demanded of God. _Why are you letting this happen?_

As usual, God didn't answer. They had never felt so alone.

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**For those of you who were hoping for a happy ending, you picked the wrong story. I'm rubbish at happy endings anyway.**

**Thanks go to the Internet for telling me more than I ever wanted to know about HIV/AIDS. Apologies go to the people who have lost family to this unstoppable disease.**

**Next chapter should be up soon. I hope you all have Kleenex available; the sadness will be lapped on even more.**

**Oh, and the line I was talking about was, "Why do my ears hurt?" and it's from the movie _Gia_ about a supermodel who dies of AIDS. Great movie, one of Angelina Jolie's best. You should watch it.**


	14. Seen Through Tears

**Thank you for the reviews and for not attempting to murder me in my sleep for giving you yet another depressing chapter. May that same mercy still reign after you read this one.**

**Sad music is a no on this chapter, probably for the rest of the story actually. It's pretty sad when the author cries while she's writing the story, that's when you know that a couple happy stories might make a nice change.**

**Anyway, please enjoy and keep the reviews coming. AND TO THOSE 20 OF YOU WHO READ AND DON'T FREAKIN' REVIEW: _START!!!!!_**

**Disclaimer: Paramount Pictures is to rich as forgotten-magick is to poor, hence, I could not possibly own _Four Brothers_**

**Enjoy!

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Amelia sat on Evy's hospital bed, cradling her cousin's limp hand in her own. This all felt so surreal. Evy couldn't be here, that couldn't be her face lifeless on the pillow, her arms and legs weak and unmoving on the bed. Her Evy was never lifeless, never weak. This couldn't really be Evy; Evy had to be somewhere else, anywhere else.

"Oh God, cuz," Amelia whispered. "Why didn't you tell us?"

The door opened and Amelia looked up, startled to see her sister, Daniela, standing there. "What are you doing here?" Amelia asked dully.

Daniela walked closer and stared down at Evy, her face expressionless. "I was supposed to start my practical training today," she told Amelia quietly. "But when I got here, Doctor Silva told me what had happened." Her eyes met Amelia's and her sister was surprised to see pain and sadness there. "How could this happen?" Daniela asked desperately.

Amelia stood up and hugged her older sister, wishing for the first time that they were closer, that she could understand Daniela and help her. "I don't know, Danny," she whispered. "I wish I did."

"Daniela?"

The girls turned to find Bobby and Angel standing at the door. "Hi," she said quietly.

"What are you doing here?" Bobby asked, hugging his niece. "How did you find out?"

"I was supposed to start orderly training today," Daniela explained. "One of the doctors stopped me when he saw my nametag and asked if I knew an Evy Mercer. When I said that I did, he sent me over here to be with my family." She was quiet for a moment. "You haven't told anyone yet, have you?"

Angel shook his head. "We're going to wait until she wakes up and ask what she wants," he told them.

"There's so many people to tell," Bobby said quietly as he sat down on Evy's bed and took her hand. "But I'm not sure who she wants to know. We'll have to tell her boyfriend of course, but if they've already had sex then it's a little late."

"They haven't," Amelia assured them. "Evy wasn't ready and Chris isn't the kind of guy who would push."

"Thank God for small favors I guess," Angel said.

Evy groaned and everyone turned to look at her. She started to sit up, but fell weakly back against the pillows as pain ripped through her body. "Holy fuck," she gasped weakly. She fought for breath and finally forced herself to relax. Breathing heavily, she opened her eyes and looked around.

Hospital. She was in the hospital again. Bobby was sitting on the bed, his hand clamped around hers. Amelia and Daniela stood off to her left while Angel stood on the right, sunlight from the window streaming in behind him.

"What happened?" she asked, wondering why she felt so dizzy and tired.

"Girls." They all looked around at Jerry's voice. He was standing in the doorway. "Why don't you two go down to the cafeteria and get us some coffee?" Amelia hugged Evy quickly and gave her a small smile before hurrying after her sister. Jerry shut the door after them.

Angel and Jerry sat on the bed along with Bobby, all of them looking down at their niece. "Um, before you explain," she managed weakly. "Can you sit me up please?"

After they'd adjusted the bed, Evy looked around at them all, waiting for someone to speak. As she figured, Bobby took the lead.

"You're very sick, baby," he said quietly. "You have been for a few months. Whatever your reasons for not telling us, it's not important anymore."

Evy nodded, guilt writhing in her chest. Why hadn't she told them? "What do I have?" she asked quietly. But she already knew. She'd known when she'd found the first sore and remembered one of Kevin's friends having one just like it on his leg.

"You have AIDS," Jerry said quietly.

Evy looked at them and burst into tears. "I'm so sorry," she sobbed. "I knew that I was going to get it. I knew one of Kevin's friends had it, but I couldn't tell you. I didn't want to have to face that something was wrong, I didn't want anyone to know. I just wanted it to go away, I wanted to be okay again. I'm so sorry."

They hugged her, the four of them were so close together that Evy could hear their heartbeats. "I'm so sorry," she wept. "I'm so, so sorry."

"Shh," Bobby whispered soothingly. "It's alright, hun. We understand, really we do."

Evy sobbed herself into exhaustion and the brothers remember that first day when Angel had held her until she passed out from the violence of her crying. She had been so fragile then, so broken. Dr. Masters had told them that she needed to be committed, that she was too far gone to-

Dr. Masters. Something finally made its way past the confusion and sorrow. Dr. Masters hadn't said anything about her having AIDS. Hadn't he done blood work to find out what was in her system? How could he have missed that? "I'll be back," he said quietly, watching Jerry and Angel lay Evy carefully down on her pillow.

"Where you goin'?" Angel asked.

"I need to talk to the doctor," Bobby said.

As Bobby walked up to the nurse's station, he felt a grim sort of delight. Dr. Masters was there, talking to Dr. Alexander, the one who was taking care of Evy now. "Excuse me, Doctor Masters," Bobby said smoothly. "Could I have a word?"

Masters looked terrified. "Of-of course, Mr. Mercer," he stammered.

"You did blood tests on my niece, Evy Mercer, when she was in here a few months ago, right?"

Masters flushed, his skin going deathly pale. Dr. Alexander looked livid. "Answer the question," the older doctor snapped.

Masters nodded.

"And how the hell did you miss AIDS?" Bobby asked, his voice still carefully calm and controlled.

"I didn't do an HIV/AIDS test," the young man stammered.

"That's hospital policy, Kyle," Alexander growled. "You always run the test."

"I didn't think it was really necessary-" Masters began.

"Necessary!" Bobby exploded. "_Necessary?_ A seventeen year old girl is dying down the hall and you say it wasn't really necessary? She's dying because of you! What the fuck kind of a doctor lets a little girl die?"

Before he knew what he was doing, before he could remember that he'd sworn off violence, Bobby threw himself at the young man and starting hitting him as hard as he could. People were yelling and suddenly Angel and Jerry were there, pulling him off the screaming young doctor.

"She was supposed to live!" Bobby screamed. "She was supposed to get the chance to grow old and to have kids of her own and do everything that her father and her mother never got the chance to do! You took that away, you let her die! I'll kill you, I'll kill you!"

But Bobby froze, staring in shock at something no one else could see. Jack, his Jackie, was standing there. He came forward and put his hands on Bobby's shoulders. "It's okay, Bobby," he whispered. "It's all going to be okay." Jack rested a long-fingered hand over Bobby's eyes and forehead. "Sleep, big brother. You're going to need it."

- - - -

Bobby sat bolt upright and almost fell out of bed as dizziness swirled in his head. Swearing, he flopped back onto a pillow as someone laughed quietly to his right. It was dark and the whole world seemed very quiet. Had hours passed so quickly? Where was he anyway? Had he just been having a dream?

"Nice of you to drop in," a voice said dryly. Bobby rolled on his side and was surprised to see Evy sitting there. He was in her hospital room, someone had put him in the other empty bed.

"Jack!" Bobby said suddenly as memories of the scene with Dr. Masters rushed back on him.

Evy frowned. "You hit your head or something?" she asked. "I'm Evy."

"No, damnit," Bobby snapped. "I saw Jack in the hallway! He told me to sleep, he touched me!"

Evy didn't look surprised. "Have you seen him too?" Bobby asked, hardly daring to believe it. She nodded.

"He was next to me when we got to the hospital," she said quietly. "He was running next to the gurney, following us." Tears filled her eyes. "I wish he was here now," she said softly.

Bobby got up and went to sit next to her. He cradled Evy to his chest wishing for the first time in years that he had died instead of Jack. "I'm so scared, Uncle Bobby," she whispered. "I'm so scared that I don't know whether to laugh hysterically or cry myself into unconsciousness."

"I know, baby," he said softly. "But at least you won't be alone. We'll be here no matter what."

Evy started to cry, gripping his shirt so tightly that her knuckles seemed to glow white in the dim room. "That's what Daddy told me before he left," she sobbed. "He told me that he'd come back and we'd never be alone again, that he'd always be there. But he's not. He's not! He's just fucking gone!" she screamed, pounding her fist weakly on his chest as her sobbing intensified.

"He wanted to be, Evy," Bobby said, holding her tighter. "He wanted to be there so much."

Evy sobbed into Bobby's chest for what seemed like days. Finally her body relaxed against his and her sobs became soft gasps for breath. "Know what you need?" Bobby said quietly. Evy looked up at him, wiping tears off her face. "You need a cigarette. Hang on."

He got up and went out to the nurses' station. A young woman with curly black hair smiled at him as he walked up. "Hey cutie," he said, fixing his most charming smile on his face. "My niece would like a little fresh air. I'm sure it's against the rules, but it would mean so much to her. Do you think I could get a wheelchair and directions to a smoking balcony or something?"

The girl frowned slightly and looked toward Evy's room. "Please, hun," Bobby said, letting the fatigue he still felt seep into his voice. "She's got AIDS and only a few months left. Can't you break the rules just once?"

The woman gave him a sympathetic smile. "Of course," she said. "I'll get a chair for you."

"Thanks, doll." _At least there are still a few good people left in the world._

- - - -

Evy took a deep breath, savoring the clear night air. A stiff breeze had picked up and the night wasn't as blazing hot as they'd been for the last few weeks. She looked up at the stars as felt that now familiar longing that Jack could be there with her.

She sighed and took another pull on her cigarette. Bobby snorted to her left. "What?" she asked.

"I shouldn't let you smoke that shit," he said. "It's so bad for you."

Evy laughed. "Uncle Bobby, I was up to a pack at day by the time I was eleven."

"You're just like your father," Bobby said in mock disgust. "Just cause you've been doing it for years you don't see any reason to stop. Those things'll kill ya, you know." He cringed as he realized what he'd said.

Evy laughed again, but this time bitterness marred the light sound. "Uncle Bobby, I'm not going to live long enough for lung cancer to develop, much less for it to kill me." She bit her lip and Bobby walked over. He crouched down next to her wheelchair and took her hand, his eyes so filled with understanding that Evy almost burst into tears.

"It scares me, you know," she said, staring down at the red-hot ashes on her cigarette. "It scares me that my life is going to end so soon. I never wanted it to go on. I never even wanted to wake up the next day until I came here." She gave a strangled sound, somewhere between a sob and a laugh. "It's a crime that my life's going to be over right when I decide it's worth living."

Something seemed to explode inside her and tears overflowed, running down her face and into her lap. She rocked forward as pain seared through her body and she would have hit the ground if Bobby hadn't been there to catch her.

These tears were different and they cut Bobby like a knife as he held her. These were desperate tears, empty dreams being swept out of a person who could never live them. These were the tears of someone who knew that nothing would ever be okay again, that nothing could ever fix what was broken. Jack's tears as he screamed for Bobby had been like that. The final manifestation of a life that would never be lived, of a soul that would be forever abandoned.

_Oh God, Jackie,_ Bobby thought bleakly. _Why is this happening?

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_

**God, sometimes I even depress myself. I actually got a note from a girl who says that she's not reading this anymore because it's just too sad. So freakin' sue me, I can't write happy, it comes off like Disney on uppers.**

**Anyway, the final countdown is on: two chapters to go. Hazzeh, I'm finally going to finish a fanfic.**

**So, please review. I'll give a king's ransom in gold if someone who's never reviewed before leaves me a comment! And I'll give my sincere and heartfelt thanks to those of you who do review because I absolutely love you all.**


	15. Weakening

**So, after this chapter there's only the ending left. Now comes the difficult part, should I post it tomorrow or make you wait for a week or so? Hmm, that bears further thought.**

**Anyhow, thanks for the reviews. Sorry to give you such a fucking depressing story, but I suppose you wouldn't keep reading it if you weren't interested.**

**Disclaimer: Jesus, I've only got two more chapters, is this really necessary?**

**Enjoy!

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**

Evy really didn't know what was worse, the days filled with constant lines of friends and doctors or the long nights filled with nothing but pain as her body let her down and the agonizing longing that overwhelmed her whenever she felt Jack's presence. At the present, she was leaning more towards the former.

Angelina Jackson was a nice girl, she really was. But if the girl said, "But of course you know that _everyone_ is just _so_ worried about you," one more time, Evy was going to use her IV bag to strangle her. As the girl continued onto a new topic (the truly _heinous_ shade of yellow they'd painted the lockers in the girls' locker room) Evy decided it was time for drastic action.

"Angie," she gasped. "Thanks for spending so much time with me, but I'm really in pain and I think I'd like to sleep for a bit."

"Oh of course, Evy," Angelina said sympathetically. "You sleep and feel better. Everyone's just _so_ worried about you and I'm sure they'll be glad to know that you've been getting enough rest. Ciao, dear!" she said with a merry little wave.

Evy leaned up a little bit to make sure she was gone before collapsing back on the bed and groaning. "My thoughts exactly," a glib voice said from the doorway. Evy grinned and opened her eyes as Chris and Amelia walked into her room. "Feeling any better, sweetheart?" Chris asked as he leaned down to kiss her forehead.

Evy shrugged, trying to ignore the shooting pain that stabbed her muscles as she moved. "How was school?" she asked them.

"Oh, you know," Amelia said. Putting on a falsely high voice, she said, "_Everyone_ is just _so_ worried about you."

"I'd throw something at you but I'm too damn tired," Evy growled. She could feel weakness seeping into her limbs like it did so often now. It seemed that she wouldn't be able to leave the hospital next week after all.

Amelia grinned, keeping her face carefully free of sympathy. "It was fine," she said. "Couple of the teachers asked about you. Mr. Olken wanted to know your room number so he could send you some flowers."

Evy smiled, but she felt a faint sinking in her heart as she thought of the man. Now that she knew he had been her father's lover, there was something hard about facing him.

"We brought you homework," Chris said, dropping her messenger bag onto the table next to her bed along with a few school books. "Nothing you can't handle. Reading a few chapters, two essays. The teachers were really happy to help."

"Thank them for me," Evy said, pushing the button to raise her bed up. "I need a smoke, can one of you find a wheelchair for me?"

"I'll go," Amelia said quickly. After she left the room, Chris's smile faded and he let his concern show.

"How are you really?" he asked quietly.

Evy sighed and tried to shrug again, but her arms felt too tired. "It comes and goes," she said quietly, looking down at her blanket. "Sometimes I feel okay, but it only lasts for a little while and I'm back to being too weak to move. The pain is pretty constant now. It spikes sometimes, but mostly I can handle it." She looked up at Chris. "Have you given any thought to what we talked about?"

Chris sighed and sat back in his chair. "Which bit?" he asked, his voice harsh. "The part about me finding a new girlfriend because you're going to die or the more insulting part about me needing to get sex somewhere cause I obviously can't get it from you?"

Evy closed her eyes at his anger. "I'm trying to help, Chris," she said softly.

"Evy, it's not going to be easy to watch you die whether I have another girlfriend or not."

"I know," she said quietly. "I just want you to have the chance. You're such a wonderful guy, I feel bad that you're becoming that guy with the sick girlfriend. I want you to move on and live."

Chris took her hand. "Babe, I will move on and live after you're gone," he said quietly. "But right now I want to live as much with you as I can so that I have plenty to remember when I can't talk to you anymore."

"Masochist," she laughed quietly.

"Frankly baby I'd be anything you wanted if you'd give me just one date," he replied lightly.

- - - -

Pain. Blinding white pain. She couldn't even cry out. Evy knew that Bobby was holding her hand and that her fingers were so tight against his that she was cutting off the circulation, but she couldn't feel it anymore.

The fit passed and left her gasping for breath and blinking white lights out of her eyes. "Want me to get someone?" Bobby asked. Evy shook her head.

"Won't . . . do any . . . good," she gasped.

"We could at least get them to give you something to make you sleep," Bobby said.

Evy shook her head. "Don't want . . . to sleep. Might not . . . wake up."

Pain ripped through her again and Evy cried out. "That's it," Bobby said sternly. "I'm getting them to give you something."

All Evy could do was nod as the pain receded. It hurt to bad, Bobby was right. After a nurse came in and gave her a sedative, Evy lay there holding Bobby's hand.

"It's late," she said suddenly, her words slightly slurred with the medication. "You're probably tired."

Bobby shrugged. "I hate the thought of you here alone," he told her. "I want you to know that you're not alone in this."

Evy laughed, but it came out more like a gasp. "I feel alone, Uncle Bobby," she whispered. "But only because I'm in pain and the rest of you aren't."

"That's a crock of shit," Bobby said matter-of-factly. "We're all in pain too. Speaking of pain, why are you trying to push Chris away?"

Evy groaned. "Because it's the right thing to do," she snapped.

"Why?"

"What good is it doing him to be dating a girl who can't leave the hospital?"

"What good would it do him to go out and pick up the first single girl he came across?"

"You don't get it," Evy snarled, but she couldn't finish. A coughing fit ended their conversation and left Evy gasping for breath again while aches filled her body from the violence of her coughs.

"Sleep baby," Bobby said quietly. "Sleep now." As he had so many times, Bobby started to sing quietly to Evy.

After Evy had spent a week in the hospital and it became clear that she wouldn't be leaving anytime soon, Bobby had tore the house apart looking for Jack's stuff. He'd found a bunch of his brother's notebooks and had Evy look through them to find the songs that Jack had sung to her. His own voice wasn't very good, but the simple act of repeating her father's lyrics was guaranteed to put Evy to sleep.

The one he sang the most was one called "When Stars Fall." Evy always felt sad after she heard it because it was the song Jack would sing to her every night, but it was wonderfully soothing as well.

_When the stars fall_

_And there's no more light_

_I can just look at you_

_And know it's alright_

_I was a shadow_

_Drifting along_

_Then you appeared_

_And gave me a new song_

_So I say,_

_Only when the stars fall_

_Only when my heart stops_

_Only when my soul dies_

_Only when this heart breaks_

_Will I go away._

Bobby was only halfway done with the song when Evy passed out. He smiled down at his niece and kissed her on the forehead before leaving the room, closing the door softly behind him.

Dr. Alexander was standing by the nurses' station and he smiled when he saw Bobby. "How is she?" he asked.

Bobby sighed and shook his head. "She's getting worse, Doc," he said quietly. "It's been almost two months and the pain just gets worse each day. Tonight makes three weeks in a row that I've had to have her sedated so that she can sleep."

Dr. Alexander patted his shoulder sympathetically. "I know you don't want to hear this," he said quietly. "But it's good news that the pain is so bad. That means it's close to over."

Bobby nodded. Two weeks ago, something like that would have brought tears to his eyes, but he didn't have the strength to cry anymore. "It's too soon," he said softly. He could hear how broken it was, like a little boy was speaking instead of a man well into his forties.

"It always is, Bobby," the doctor said quietly. "It always is."

- - - -

Another month passed and with it went the last of Evy's strength. Now she could barely move her fingers on her own. Bobby and the others took it in turns feeding her and reading to her, but they knew that now there was only one thing left to do. All that was left was to wait for the inevitable end that was looming ever closer.

Bobby sat with Angel and Jerry in Evy's hospital room when they finally addressed what was to come. Evy, knowing perhaps more than the others that she didn't have much time, was the one who brought it up.

"We need to talk about my funeral," she said, her voice so quiet and strained that Bobby and the others had to fight back winces of pain.

"I guess we do," Jerry said quietly. _I'm not ready for this._

Evy smiled painfully and the brothers were forcibly reminded of the small smile Jack had managed for them just before he died. Almost as if she'd read Jerry's mind, she said, "No one's ever ready for this, but we need to get it fixed before it's too late." They nodded.

"I wrote a letter that I want you guys to read," she said quietly. "It has everything I want to say . . . everything I _need_ to say. It's on the computer at home. I wrote it a few days before I came to the hospital."

None of the brothers were surprised that she'd done that. They knew now that Evy had always had an idea of what was making her sick. She knew her body better than anyone; she had known first that her time was getting short.

"It's in a locked file," she continued quietly. "Just remember that I'm forgiven and you'll be able to get into it." She gasped as pain ripped through her again. This time it was so intense that she was almost unconscious when it stopped.

"Forgive," she said quietly. "Forgive everyone when I finally go. Especially . . . yourselves." She blacked out then, leaving her uncles staring at her in fear and confusion.

"What did she mean 'I'm forgiven'?" Angel said.

"I dunno," Bobby said. "Maybe it's the password or something."

"Who are we supposed to forgive?" Angel asked after a moment.

"Everyone," Jerry replied. "She's been around long enough to know that there's a lot of baggage carried around with this family. She wants us to get rid of it."

"Easier said than done," Bobby muttered. The three of them smiled, the expression feeling oddly out of place, but still comfortable.

"I'll go home tonight and find that letter," Bobby told the others. He fixed them with a serious gaze. "We need to decide how to tell people that it's getting close to the end."

Angel gulped. "Jake's going to break down," he said quietly, his mind filled with the broken hearted look that had haunted his son's eyes since Evy had gone to the hospital.

"Amelia's never going to recover," Jerry whispered.

"Not to mention Chris," Bobby said. "Or us," he added softly.

"What are we supposed to do?" Jerry asked, his voice carrying the weary sorrow that filled them all.

Bobby stared down at Evy. _I wish Jack was here,_ he thought wistfully. _He'd know what to do. He was always so much better with feelings and loss than the rest of us. He'd be able to make her laugh, to make her stop being scared. He'd be able to make it okay for her to go._ "We live," Bobby said gently. "We going living because she won't and someone needs to."

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**Only one more chapter to go. I'm actually really sad about that. As depressing as this is, I was having a good time writing it.**

**Oh well, all good and depressing things must come to an end. Or so people tell me.**

**Please review because I love getting them.**

**Next chapter should be up soon.**


	16. Forgiven at the End

**And we have come now to the end. Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers and those of you who wasted your time reading this and didn't review.**

**This is for my sister because this tale is finished, but her script is not.**

**Warning: extreme sadness ahead.**

**No disclaimer because I don't have the heart to write anymore funny ones.**

**Hope you don't cry too hard, but if you really want to bawl, I'd recommend the songs "Breathe No More" or "Good Enough" by Evanescence because those were the two that I was listening to when I wrote this.

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Stupid, that's what this was. Mick Olken had been pacing up and down in the hospital parking lot for about half an hour. Twenty years had passed and he was still scared shitless of Bobby Mercer.

"Evy's dying," Olken repeated to himself. "They don't think she's going to last much longer, he's not going to upset her by beating the fuck out of you in her hospital room. So suck it up and get the fuck in there." _Well,_ he thought miserably as he walked inside. _At least if he attacks me I won't have far to go before I find a doctor._

Evy's room was pretty empty considering. From what Amelia had said, their family practically lived there now. But as he peeked through the door, there was only Bobby, Jerry, Angel, and Amelia. He looked closer and saw that Angel and Jerry must have had their wives there as well, there was no way Amelia carried three purses. He had to fight back laughter at the thought of big, bad Bobby carrying the red purse with the big white flowers.

Forcing his face to be expressionless, Mick walked into the room, clearing his throat slightly to let them know he was there. Amelia smiled, Bobby looked like someone had just smacked him, but Angel and Jerry followed Amelia's example.

"Hi guys," Mick said quietly. He held out the roses he'd brought, feeling sort of stupid. "I know that it's getting close to the- the end. I just wanted to bring her something." He stood there for a moment, fidgeting as Amelia took the roses from him and set them on a table by the window. "Nice to see you all again," he said quickly. "I'm sorry that things got so bad for her. Bye."

He hurried out into the hall, hell-bent on getting the fuck away from the hospital. "Mick!"

He cringed at the sound of Bobby's voice behind him. "Yeah?" he said rather aggressively as he turned around.

"Thanks for the flowers," Bobby said quietly. After a moment, he said, "I want to apologize to you. I know it's been a long time, but I need you to know that I'm sorry."

Mick was silent for a minute, staring at Bobby in shock. "You're right, it has been a long time," he said finally. "I want you to know that I never hurt Jack, I never would have. Whatever you might think of me, I did care a lot about your brother."

"I know," Bobby said. "Will you come to Evy's funeral? Jack would have wanted you to be there."

Mick nodded, smiling slightly. "I'll be there."

Bobby watched Mick get into the elevator with mixed feelings. On one hand, he was glad that he'd made peace with Mick, taking a first step towards the forgiveness, but on the other he still felt the lingering disgust at what he'd seen.

_Oh well,_ he thought as he walked back to Evy's room. _I guess nothing's ever really as simple as 'I'm sorry'._

- - - -

Bobby felt like everything inside him was quivering. There could be no mistake at this point. It was down to a matter of days before Evy was gone forever. Sitting in her dark hospital room, Bobby felt like he was so alone and for a moment he understood the blinding fear that gripped Evy. Death was a horribly lonely thing, for the victim and the survivors.

_So here it is again,_ he thought bitterly as he took Evy's hand. _Three brothers waiting for someone to die._

All at once, he felt Jack's presence in the small room. _There are four of us, Bobby_, Jack seemed to whisper in his ear.

_Not for much longer,_ Bobby thought. He was pretty sure that once Evy was gone, Jack would leave. He'd be gone again, leaving them just like he had left Evy, how Evy was leaving them.

Bobby sat next to Evy, holding her hand. _How much longer?_ he wondered again as her limp body shuddered in pain. How much longer did she have of this pain before it stopped?

Not long, he could tell that much. Her fingers were cold and lifeless in his own, the skin clammy. Her eyes looked bruised and her lids fluttered every so often with the agony she was feeling. Evy's smooth young face was now etched with pain, small wrinkles from clenching her eyes and teeth would be there forever.

Not that she'd ever have to see them. Bobby was grateful for that at least. He watched the heart monitor as the lines became smaller, the jumps shorter. This couldn't be happening again. He couldn't be sitting with his brothers helpless to stop the inevitable.

"This isn't right," Angel said suddenly, tears heavy in his voice. "This isn't how it was supposed to be. We didn't give her enough. We didn't get a chance to do enough for her. We should have had that chance."

Jerry shook his head, wishing that he could cry. The last three months had taken all his tears and he didn't have the power to cry anymore. "We gave her everything she could have ever wanted," he said quietly, his eyes fixed on Evy's pain-marked face. "We gave her a family that'll be here at the very end so that she doesn't have to die alone and unloved."

"That's what we gave Jack," Bobby told them quietly. "We gave him brothers who stayed even when there was no hope."

_The only difference between then and now is that Jack died in my arms,_ Bobby thought, staring down at Evy's thin hand in his. _And Evy's going to die in my hands._ But there would be no screams this time, no helpless pleading. Only the silent, creeping death that stole light from the world.

"Why couldn't we save them?" Bobby asked softly, his voice shaking with desperate sadness.

Jerry thought back to what Camille had told him the night they met Evy. "No one can save everyone, Bobby," he said quietly. "Not even Mom. Sometimes the only thing we can do is let go."

Angel and Jerry sat on the bed with Bobby, all of them watching Evy's face, all of them conscious of Jack's presence around them. They didn't even hear the heart monitor go off or see Dr. Alexander come in and quietly switch off the machine. They only had eyes for Evy, for that beautiful lively girl who had filled the gaping void that Jack had left in them. She was gone, the broken body on the bed no longer held her captive. Just like Jack, Evy had disappeared from the world: silently, surrounded by family, and much too soon.

- - - -

Bobby looked down at the letter in his hands so that he could avoid looking at the crowd who sat before him. It was raining, the drops tapping softly on the tarp that had been stretched over the gravesite. _Read it_, Bobby told himself. _These are her last words, keep it together and read them._

He cleared his throat. "Evy left a letter for us, one that she wanted us to read to all of you," he paused, looking around at all the tear-stained faces around him. "So, here goes.

_"To my family and friends-_

_I'm so sorry that I had to leave your lives so quickly. I don't think thirteen years would have been enough time to spend with you, less than one year seems terribly inadequate."_

Jerry fought back tears as he looked at his daughter. Amelia hadn't spoken, hadn't cried since Evy had died. He wanted to shake her, force her to understand that it was Evy who had died, not her, but in his heart he envied her. He was jealous of the fact that Amelia had so much more to remember of Evy than the rest of them did.

_"It's important to me that you all know that I regret nothing in my life except for the fact that I didn't say 'I love you' to the people I care about nearly enough. It seems that sometimes we can't tell people things when they're here, we have to wait til we've lost them forever before we can make the words come."_

Bobby looked up, his eyes finding Mick Olken in the back row. The man was crying and Bobby wondered fleetingly if he was wishing that he'd said something to Jack before he'd been lost forever.

_"Since I'm not there anymore, I know that all my words are empty somehow. Some of you probably wonder what the good is in knowing that I loved you if I'm not around. That's what got me for a long time, but knowing is what really matters. I know that when I die, I won't be alone. I want you all to know that when you grieve, you won't be alone. The people we love never really leave us behind. They're always there, just out of sight, but always within reach."_

Angel hugged Jake as the little boy cried. This was so hard. Why did everything have to be so hard? Why couldn't Evy have lived an easy life? One filled with love and family and every wonderful thing that she deserved. She was worth more than the life she'd been given.

_"The last thing my father ever did was tell me that he'd be back. Even now that I know he's gone, I never really stopped hoping. I wanted him back so much that it took me a long time to realize that I had never forgiven him for leaving in the first place. I don't want any of you to feel that way. I lived my life, I was truly, blissfully happy for months on end which is more than most people could say. Don't spend too much time thinking about everything I didn't get to do, I didn't think about it at all when the end came near. I approached the darkness with peace. I looked in the mirror one day and I knew that I was forgiven. Not forgiven by others, but forgiven by myself, and that's all that really matters in the end."_

Bobby paused, thinking about the day he'd sat down to find the letter. He'd tried everything to get into the file. When he finally figured out how to get a password clue, he'd almost burst out laughing. The clue was "I am . . ." and Bobby knew immediately that the password was "forgiven". Somehow it had made everything that much sadder knowing that all she had really wanted in life was to be forgiven. He wondered if he'd ever told her that he could forgive everything of her because he loved her so much.

Jerking himself back to the present, Bobby continued.

_"Though everyone I met made an impression, there are only a few that I'm going to address personally in this letter. These are things that need to be said and I know that if I miss this chance, there will never be another one._

Bobby looked out over the faces in the crowd, his heart aching for the ones he knew he wouldn't find. Gladys was there, sitting with Myra Golding. Both of them were crying quietly, hands clasped tight between them. The hockey team was there along with the smattering of friends that Evy had come up with in the time she'd spent at Detroit City. How he wished that he could see other faces there, more loved faces. Jack, Evelyn . . . Evy. God how he missed them now. He blinked quickly and continued.

_"Chris- you were the first person I let in, the first stranger that I allowed to love me. You completed me, filling a void that I'd never noticed before. For that, I thank you and love you more than you can ever imagine._

Chris stared blankly at Evy's coffin, tears rolling slowly down his face. Bobby wondered if she had ever said "I love you" to him. There was so much about Chris that he would never know. Did he love her? Did he think that she loved him? Where would things have gone if Evy had lived? Bobby felt a surge of pity for the young man sitting before him. Chris looked so lost. He was staring at the gleaming wooden coffin as if hoping that Evy would spring out of it and go on about her life being happy. How he wished there was some comfort he could give.

_"Amelia- I'm sorry that I left you. I'm sorry that we didn't have years to get to know each other. All those stolen years of our childhood that we can never get back, those would have been the best. Don't forget to live cuz. I can tell you from experience that death is cold and lonely. You're better than that._"

Jerry looked at his daughter and relief spread through him. Amelia was crying, her eyes watching the rain falling like tears outside the pavilion. "You're better than that too," she whispered, her voice breaking with sadness.

_"To my Uncles Bobby, Angel, and Jerry- thank you for being with me at the very end. Even though I haven't reached that point as I write this letter, I know you'll be there. I wish that this hadn't happened, that you hadn't had to lose another Mercer. Stop blaming yourselves. People die just like people are born, life goes on no matter what. Forgive yourselves."_

The brothers looked at each other, pain moving in a current between them. God how they missed her. She was barely gone and already they felt like the world was darker, less alive than before.

_"And to Jake- Play hockey when you're tired, argue with your parents, smart off to teachers and never, ever forget that everything, good and bad, makes life worth living._

_"I love you all. Grief is like everything else. In the end, this too shall pass. Go out and live, live with all your heart and soul. If I had my life to live over, I would live a life filled with passion and that's how you should do it._

_"Goodbye, Evy,_" Bobby finished. People were weeping openly, sobbing as if they were alone. He wanted to join them, to let himself breakdown and cry the way that they did, but he couldn't. His grief was beyond tears, beyond sobbing and screaming and pain. His grief was like the tears Jack and Evy had cried, empty and hollow, waiting to be filled by something that would never come back.

He stood there, unable to move as Jerry and Angel thanked people for coming. When they were gone, the sun came out and attendants came and moved the tarp away before coming back to lower the casket.

Bobby watched blankly as they lowered the coffin into the ground. Evy would finally be with her father now. She was buried right next to him, safely nestled between Jack and her grandmother, never to be hurt again.

As the priest and attendants walked away, Bobby looked up, his eyes roving over the cold, quiet cemetery without really seeing it. Suddenly, he gasped.

Evy was standing there, partly in shadow underneath a tall tree a hundred yards away. Her face as no longer sad or creased in pain. She looked down at them with only the palest sorrow. Her body wasn't wasted and weak anymore, Bobby could tell that this was how she would have looked if Jack had lived, if he'd been there to raise and protect her. This was how Evy would have looked in a perfect world. No, not a perfect one, he realized suddenly, just a better one.

Bobby thought his heart would explode with sadness as Jack walked out of the shadows to stand beside his daughter, manifesting as if he'd never died at all. Evy looked up at him with such love that Bobby's heart ached to be a part of it. He wanted to glance at the others, see if they were watching Jack stand with the daughter he'd never gotten to know, but he was afraid he'd never see them again if he did.

As one, Jack and Evy raised their hands in farewell. The breeze that blew up warm and soft around the family seemed to carry their voices.

_Goodbye._

Bobby felt the tears start, finally free and pouring down his face like a waterfall. _Goodbye, baby brother,_ he thought, yearning to touch Jack again, to hear him play his guitar and laugh. _Goodbye baby,_ he said to Evy, longing for her to come back, to hit a pick-up game with the boys, to _be_ there again.

_Goodbye_.

They were gone. The graveyard was empty again of everyone except the family. Bobby turned to them and instantly knew that they had seen it too. Daniela and Amelia were holding onto each other, crying softly. Sofi clung to Angel's jacket as he held Jake who was crying helplessly into his father's shoulder. Jerry was in one of the chairs, sobbing into his hands while Camille rubbed his back.

_Sometimes you're born to people, but a family finds you along the way_, Bobby thought as he looked around at them. A family had found him and Jack and Angel and Jerry. Just as Evelyn had found them a family, they were the family that had found her. A family had found Evy and had been there till the end. Everything was alright, it would be alright forever. After all these months, Bobby could finally answer the question Evy had put to him once. _"How far away is never?"_ she had asked him.

"Never will never get here, Evy," Bobby whispered, his words lost in the wind that swirled around them. "Never doesn't even exist in our family."

- - - -

Three weeks later, Bobby and his brothers stood around Evy's grave, looking down at the stone that had been placed there. Despite the sadness lying in their hearts, all three of them were smiling. After a lot of thought and arguing, they'd decided on an inscription.

When Jack had died, they'd gone through his room, looking for anything that might tell them if someone was waiting for him, but they had found nothing. Just notebooks full of ideas and song lyrics, notes that he would never play again. They had chosen the dedication from one of those notebooks.

It came from the last song Jack had ever written, one they'd found that had a strange note that finally made sense on the top of the page. It had said, "To Evy". Bobby wished desperately that he'd thought to show her that right away, that he had drug the box out of the attic when Evy first showed up so that she could see for herself that Jack had loved her. They had chosen it hoping that Evy would see it from wherever she was, so that she would know.

The brothers walked away. They were finally letting go finally of the guilt they felt for losing Jack, it seemed almost easy now. It was over and he was at peace with the daughter that he had loved so much. They wouldn't come back and talk to these graves, they wouldn't think about them as they had before. These people were gone, they weren't hanging around chunks of stone waiting for someone to come find them. Jack, Evy, and Evelyn had all moved on, and the brothers finally realized that it was alright to move on too, that they didn't have to hide anymore. It was okay for them to think about Jack and Evy, to remember them alive and happy.

A warm breeze ruffled the last of the summer grass beside the new grave. It gently caressed the chiselled words, the first to read them by only the simple light of the sun.

_I wish I had stayed_

_I wish I had remembered_

_While you were still here_

_And you were still free_

_I wish I could have said_

_I love you._

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FIN

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**Ah! It's the end. And what a bittersweet ending it was. Might have been a little cheesy.**

**Please review even though this is the last chapter and I can't bribe you with another one! Let me know if it was a good ending or if you hate it and me and you're contemplating finding me and carving out my tripes.**

**Thanks for reading! I hope I can write another decent fanfic that you guys will like just as much. In fact, I'm kind of thinking about continuing this a bit. Maybe making more of a fantasy kind of thing with the characters. Hmm, could work, but maybe not.**

**Adieu, parting tis such sweet sorrow!**


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